A large area adhesive film is attached to a semiconductor wafer containing a large number of identical structures. The film and wafer are then simultaneously singulated and the individual die with film thereon are then placed atop a lead frame and the film is completely cured to adhere the semiconductor die to the lead frame. Plural die can be mounted side-by-side on a common substrate, or one die can be mounted atop a second die which is on the substrate.

This invention relates to semiconductor devices and more specifically relates to a novel process for the attachment of power semiconductor die to a thermally and/or electrically conductive support.
Power semiconductor die such as diodes, MOSFETs, IGBTs and the like are normally attached to conductive lead frames or other substrates by electrically conducting materials such as epoxies, thermoplastics, solders and the like or by electrically insulative materials if electrical isolation is desired. This process is carried out sequentially for individual due, after die singulation from a wafer and is time consuming.
In accordance with the invention adhesive films which may be electrically conductive or insulative are used as the die attach material for power semiconductors. Further, such adhesive films are attached to power semiconductor wafers before the die singulation stage.
Adhesive films are now used lo bond low power integrated circuits to lead frames. In accordance with the invention, electrically conductive or insulative adhesive films are used to bond power semiconductors to substrates lead frames.
Adhesive films in the prior art are pre-cut and placed onto a substrate before the placement of die on the film. The resultant substrate/film/die assembly is then partially heat treated to promote adhesion between die/lead frame. In accordance with the invention, the adhesive film is placed onto the power semiconductor wafer before the die singulation stage. The wafer/adhesive film stack is then sawn using conventional singulation methods producing die with the adhesive film pre-attached. The sawn die/film stack is then placed onto a substrate/lead frame before re-activating the adhesive via heat treatment to promote bonding and complete the curing.
There are a number of benefits provided by the invention. Thus, conventional power semiconductor die attach involves use of epoxy or solder type adhesives in paste or liquid form. These materials often overspill from the edge of the die onto the substrate/lead frame during die bonding. This overspill limits the size of die that can be placed on the lead frame/substrate. By using an adhesive film, such overspill is eliminated. Larger die can then be placed in a package of a given size. Bond line thickness is also set by the adhesive film thickness and will be constant. Voids in the bond will also be absent.
Pre-bonding electrically conductive or (electrically isolating) adhesive film onto the power semiconductor wafer before die singulation also removes the requirement of an extra pick and place stage during assembly. Manufacturing equipment costs and cycle times are therefore reduced.

Power semiconductor die attach process using conductive adhesive film


An improved cut length adjusting apparatus in a folding machine of a rotary press is disclosed. The folding machine generally includes only a cutting drum having two knife blades disposed along its circumference nearly at equal angular intervals, and a folding drum rotating synchronously with but in the opposite direction to the cutting drum. The knife drum is formed of an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder which are mutually rotatable and which each have one knife blade respectively projecting therefrom. The improvements reside in that a helical gear adapted to mesh with another helical gear at the axial end of the folding drum is provided at the axial end of at least one of the outer and inner cylinders, and either one of the helical gear at the axial end of the outer or inner cylinders and the helical gear at the axial end of the folding drum is movable in the axial direction. Owing to the improved structure, by moving either one of the above-mentioned helical gears in the axial direction, the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder are relatively rotated, and so, the circumferential distance between the two saw blades is varied. Thus the cut length of a sheet to be cut by these saw blades can be precisely set.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cut length adjusting apparatus capable of cutting a continuous paper web into equal lengths and laterally into various cut lengths, and especially to such an apparatus applicable to a folding machine in a rotary press (in particular, a rotary press for newspapers).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The requirement for effecting unequal length cutting with a cutting drum include the capability of effecting an adjustment of cut-off lengths of superposed sheets (as will be described later) depending upon a total number of pages after having switched from straight folding to collective folding (See FIG. 3(a)), the capability of effecting an adjustment when it is desired to increase a circumferential length of a pattern, and the like.
To that end, as shown in FIG. 3, in the prior art either one or both of a pair of cutting cases 02 each holding a knife blade 01 are moved within a groove 04 of a cutting drum 03. And, after a cut length between the knife blades 01 and 01' is adjusted by means of a spacer 05, the cutter cases 02 are fixed by means of wedges 06.
However, the apparatus in the prior art as described above gives rise to the following problems:
(1) While it is necessary to change a cut-off length between a folded sheet held in contact with a cutting drum (hereinafter called "sheet A") and a folded sheet superposed on the first folded sheet (hereinafter called "sheet B") depending upon the superposed number of the sheets A and B when straight folding has been switched to collective folding, according to the method in the prior art it a great amount of time for extracting the wedges, and a total adjustment time of about 10 minutes, is necessitated. PA1 (2) Since the cut-off lengths of the sheets A and B are adjusted by means of the spacers, human labor is necessarily required to exchange such. Hence, a remote control or unmanned operation cannot be realized. PA1 (3) The adjustment of the cut-length size of the sheets in a stepless manner cannot be achieved. PA1 (1) A cutting drum is formed of an outer cylinder supporting one knife blade and an inner cylinder disposed within the outer cylinder and supporting the other knife blade. A helical gear mounted on the outer cylinder so as to be slidable in the axial direction is moved by means of a moving device, and the outer cylinder is made to rotate in the circumferential direction by the action of a driving helical gear meshed with the first-mentioned helical gear and fixed to the folding drum. PA1 (2) During the period when the outer cylinder rotates in the circumferential direction, rotation of the inner cylinder is restrained by the provision of a gear, such as a helical gear or the like, mounted to the shaft of the inner cylinder and which gear is always in meshing engagement with another driving gear such as a driving helical gear or the like fixed to the folding drum. PA1 (3) A reversal of the operative relationship described in paragraphs (1) and (2) above is acceptable. That is, rotation of the inner cylinder and a restraint of the rotation of the outer cylinder are acceptable. PA1 (4) The helical gear that is slidable in the axial direction as described in paragraph (1) above, could be the helical gear mounted to the folding drum.


There is provided an image forming system that is capable of making uniform in size printed images, which should originally be the same in size, between transfer sheets on which the images have been printed by a plurality of printers having different functions and capabilities when enough time has elapsed after fixing. In each of the printers, an image controller or the like forms predetermined marks on a transfer material, and a fixing device thermally fixes of the predetermined marks formed on the transfer material, and a mark detecting device or the like detects the predetermined marks. A host server connected to the printers via a network adjusts the sizes of images to be formed by the respective printers according to the predetermined marks detected by the respective printers, and then transfers the image data to the printers. Each of the printers performs image formation based on the transferred image data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system, an image distribution apparatus, and an image forming method. In particular, the present invention relates to an image forming system comprised of a plurality of image forming apparatuses and an image distributing apparatus that distributes image data to the plurality of image forming apparatuses, an image distribution apparatus to which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected and which distributes image data to the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and an image forming method applied to the image forming system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, to melt a developing agent (toner) in a thermally fixing process in xerography, a transfer sheet with toner adhered thereto is passed between fixing rollers which are controlled to have a high temperature of about 160 to 200° C. In the case where a normal transfer sheet is used, the transfer sheet itself shrinks slightly in the fixing process due to evaporation of moisture absorbed in the transfer sheet or for other reasons. The transfer sheet returns to its approximately original size if the temperature of the transfer sheet is lowered to the ambient temperature and the transfer sheet absorbs moisture in the air.
However, in double-sided printing in which the second side of a transfer sheet is printed immediately after the first side thereof is printed, an image is printed on the second side in a state in which the transfer sheet has been reduced in size immediately after toner is thermally fixed on the first side. For this reason, when the transfer sheet has returned to its original size, the size of an image printed on the second side is greater than that of the image just printed on the second side by an amount corresponding to the shrinkage amount of the transfer sheet. To solve this problem, an image forming apparatus has been proposed which detects the shrinkage amount of a transfer sheet immediately after fixing, and performs printing after reducing the size of an image to be printed on the second size according to the detection result, so that when the transfer sheet has returned to its original size, the size of an image printed on the second size can be equal to its original size, i.e., when the transfer sheet has returned to its original size in the case where images, which should originally be the same in size, are printed on the first side and second sides, the sizes of the printed images can be equal.
In a conventional large-sized printer system to which a wide variety of printers having different functions and capabilities are connected, the respective printers are caused to form desired images on transfer sheets, and the transfer sheets on which the images have been formed are bound up.
However, the plurality of printers constituting the above conventional printer system differ in amount of heat applied to a transfer sheet during fixing according to print methods such as full-color/black-and-white and print speed, and thus differ in shrinkage amount of a transfer sheet during fixing. Therefore, in double-sided printing, if images to be printed on the second sides by the respective printers are reduced by the same amount, the sizes of some images printed on the second sides may be different from the original sizes. It should be noted that some transfer sheets may not perfectly return to their original sizes even though the transfer sheets absorbs moisture in the air after fixing, and the degree to which a transfer sheet returns to its original size depends on the shrinkage amount of the transfer sheet during fixing. Therefore, in either double-sided printing or one-sided printing, images printed on respective transfer sheets by the plurality of printers may be different in size when enough time has elapsed after fixing although the images should originally be the same in size.
Under these circumstances, when transfer sheets printed by respective printers having different functions and capabilities are bound up, there is the problem that images printed on the transfer sheets are different in size although they should originally be the same in size.

Image forming system, image distribution apparatus, and image forming method


A deep cleaner for delivering cleaning fluid to a surface to be cleaned and removing the cleaning fluid from the surface to be cleaned includes a pivotal brush carriage assembly comprising a pair of support legs, a rotatable brushroll extending between the first and second support legs, a brush motor, and a belt operably coupling the rotatable brushroll to the brush motor, wherein the belt is provided within one of the support legs.

Upright extractors are known for deep cleaning carpets and other fabric surfaces, such as upholstery. Most carpet extractors comprise a fluid delivery system, a fluid recovery system, and, optionally, an agitation system. The fluid delivery system typically includes one or more fluid supply tanks for storing a supply of cleaning fluid, a fluid distributor for applying the cleaning fluid directly to the surface to be cleaned or to an intermediate cleaning member that subsequently contacts the surface to be cleaned, and a fluid supply conduit for delivering the cleaning fluid from the fluid supply tank to the fluid distributor. The fluid recovery system typically comprises a recovery tank, a nozzle adjacent the surface to be cleaned (or in contact with an intermediate cleaning member in direct contact with the surface to be cleaned) and in fluid communication with the recovery tank through a working air conduit, and a vacuum source in fluid communication with the working air conduit to draw the cleaning fluid from the surface to be cleaned through the nozzle and the working air conduit to the recovery tank. The agitation system can include an agitator element for scrubbing the surface to be cleaned, an optional drive means, and selective control means. The agitation system can include a fixed or driven agitator element that can comprise a brush, pad, sponge, cloth, and the like. The agitation system can also include driving and control means including motors, turbines, belts, gears, switches, sensors, and the like. An example of an upright extractor is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,237 to Kasper et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,402 to Giddings et al. discloses a soil transfer extraction cleaning method employing a roller assembly including a soil transfer cleaning medium to mechanically remove soil from the surface to be cleaned. The method includes the steps of successively and repeatedly wetting a portion of the cleaning medium with a cleaning liquid, extracting any soil and at least some of the cleaning liquid from the previously wetted portion of the cleaning medium, and wiping the surface to be cleaned with the cleaning medium so as to transfer soil from the surface to be cleaned to the cleaning medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,735,812 to Hekman et al. discloses an apparatus having a cleaning implement in selective wiping contact with the surface to be cleaned; a cleaning solution dispenser that selectively wets a portion of the cleaning implement, a portion of the surface to be cleaned, or both; a first selectively controllable vacuum extractor tool to remove some of the dispensed cleaning solution and soil from the cleaning implement; and a second selectively controllable vacuum extractor tool which removes soil and some of the cleaning solution directly from the surface to be cleaned.
Traditionally, carpet extractors deliver cleaning fluid directly to a surface to be cleaned or onto an agitation system which subsequently delivers the cleaning solution to the surface to be cleaned. In both cases, the surface to be cleaned is saturated with cleaning fluid and allowed to dwell for a sufficient time to maximize the efficiency of the chemical process. In a second step, the cleaning solution together with any entrained debris is removed from the surface to be cleaned and collected via the fluid recovery system.


A roadable vehicle with a single nacelle assembly that contains a pair of inline counter-rotating propellers. Two inline counter-rotating engines are directly connected to the propellers. One engine is shut down in horizontal flight to improve efficiency. Gimbal mounting the nacelle assembly permits thrust to be directed forward to back and left to right to control the vehicle position in the horizontal plane, when hovering. Varying the relative engine speeds controls yaw. The roadable vehicle is adaptable as an unmanned vehicle. The foldable wings equipped with automotive type wheels provide for travel off-road as well as on the highway.

Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) Vehicles are fixed-wing aircraft that can lift off from the ground and land in a vertical hover, and transition from the vertical hover mode to a horizontal flight mode and back to vertical hover mode. Configurations have included vectored-thrust aircraft like the British AV8B Harrier now built by Boeing, and the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed-Martin. These concepts direct the thrust from a jet engine downward to hover and rearward for horizontal flight. Tilt-wing/tilt-rotor aircraft like the V-22 Osprey, jointly from Bell Helicopter and Boeing, direct thrust from two rotatable proprotor assemblies situated in engine nacelles at the ends of the main wing.
Roadable Airborne Vehicles are aircraft that can transform themselves such that they can be driven on roads intended for automobiles. Terrafugia of Terrafugia, Inc. is one such vehicle.
Vertical/Short Take-off and Landing Roadable Airborne Vehicles are aircraft that not only can transform themselves from an airplane to an automobile, but can also take off and land vertically. The Skycar by Moller International is an attempts to accomplish this combination of different operational modes.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that rather than decentralizing a multitude of power plants, safety and efficiency can be realized by concentrating a few power plants in the near vicinity of the vehicle center of gravity. Further, it will be apparent that benefits will be gained by utilizing inline counter-rotating propellers. It will also be apparent that by assigning multiple functions for most of the vehicle components, the most weight efficient structure can be achieved.

Vertical takeoff and landing roadable vehicle


A barbeque grill structure includes a concave base, a grille-shaped framework, and a top cap. The framework defines an opening having two side walls each formed with a support step face. A material box is received in the opening and has two sides each formed with a support piece seated on the support step face. A top cover is removably mounted on the material box and defines a plurality of air vents. In such a manner, a closed chamber is defined between the framework and the top cap, and connects to the material box through the air vents.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a barbeque grill structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional barbeque grill structure in accordance with the prior art shown in FIG. 1 comprises a concave base 10, a grille-shaped framework 20 mounted in the base 10, a hollow top cap 30 mounted on the base 10, and a heating tube 201 secured on the bottom of the framework 20 for heating it. The framework 20 has two sides each provided with a handle 202, and the handle 202 on one of the two sides of the framework 20 is provided with a socket 203 in which an electric plug (not shown) can be inserted so as to supply power to the heating tube 201. However, the user has to manually provide different kinds of spices so that the fragrance of the spices can be attached on the surface of the food for seasoning the food, so easily causing inconvenience to the user.


Significantly improved resistance to breaking while drilling in metal can be realized in twist drill bits having a web thickness taper which is about twice the web thickness taper specified in Standards and in common use in the industry. This creates much shallower flutes and flies in the face of conventional wisdom in the art which holds that the web taper rate should be low to maximize the amount of flute volume available to convey chips and sawdust out of the hole. A flute length of about 1/2" less than the flute lengths specified by the Standards makes it possible to have such a large taper rate but still control variations in tolerances for the flute length. It also provides a marking zone for placing size indicia on the drill bit shank outside the portion which is gripped by the chuck jaws of a power drill. The use of the new web taper rate, in conjunction with modifications to the tip geometry of a self-centering drill bit with pilot tip, produces a drill bit optimized both for metal and wood drilling which is strong enough to withstand the forces exerted on the bit while drilling in metal using a hand-held power drill, yet which need not be retracted from a 2.times.4 to clear sawdust prior to drilling a hole completely through the thickness of the wood.

Conventional wisdom in the art holds that it is advisable to use a relatively shallow web taper rate in twist drills so that the flute depth along the length of the flute is as great as practicable. This should provide the maximum amount of volume to convey chips, swarf or sawdust back from the tip and out of the hole being drilled. This convention is embodied in two Standards: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME B94.11M-1993), and The National Aerospace Standard of the Aerospace Industries Association of America, Inc., (NAS 907) (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Standards"), both of which Standards are specifically incorporated in their entireties by reference herein. The Assignee of the present invention has been selling conventional Jobber-length, straight-shank drill bits which have parameters that track the Standards, and which have conventional web thickness taper rates between 0.024 inches to 0.030 inches. Also, it has been selling a self-centering drill bit with pilot tip under the BULLET.RTM. trademark having a web taper rate of about 0.027 inches per inch of flute length. This self-centering drill bit was designed with the end user who uses a portable drill in mind, particularly one who desires a bit which is optimized to drill in both metal and wood. The first versions ofthese bits are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,193, issued Nov. 6, 1990, to Chaconas et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,183, issued Feb. 22, 1994, to Chaconas et al., each of which is assigned to the same Assignee of the present invention. The entire disclosures of each of these two patents are also specifically incorporated by reference herein.
One of the needs of an operator who uses the bit in a hand-held power drill is increased toughness, or resistance to breaking (typically in the flute portion of the drill bit). The increased robustness is needed because in metal drilling the portable power drill user puts considerable side stresses on the drill bit, not having the stability that a drill press provides. However, the BULLET.RTM. drill bit, which was optimized to drill well both in metal and in wood, not only needs strength while drilling metal, it also must drill holes through wood with a minimum of "woodpeckering", that is, repetitively retracting and reinserting the drill bit to clear the flutes of sawdust. There is also a need to enhance the BULLET.RTM. drill bit's longevity if it should be subjected to an overspeed condition in metal, as well as the strength in its tip portion. Finally, there is a need to reduce its tendency to produce a disc in laminated materials.

Self-centering drill bit with pilot tip, and process


A technique for joint repair employing a suture/button construct and an applicator designed to securely engage a button of the suture/button construct. The button of the suture/button construct securely engages the shaft of the applicator. The suture from the button may be wrapped around a securing device (for example, a rod or bolt) located on or within the handle. The applicator with the secured button is introduced into the tissue (for example, soft tissue or a bone tunnel) and the button is passed through the tissue.

Suture-button constructs have been used for fixation of ankle syndesmosis (U.S. Pat. No. 7,235,091), acromioclavicular (AC) joint fixation (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0179531) and more recently, for small joint surgery, such as bunion repair (U.S. Ser. No. 12/016,129, filed on Jan. 17, 2008), or lisfranc repair (U.S. Ser. No. 12/016,121, filed Jan. 17, 2008). In these small joint techniques, the suture-button construct is passed through a passage or tunnel (for example, a drilled hole) by employing a needle that pulls the button and the attached suture through the passage or tunnel. Pulling of the needle through the passage or tunnel, and subsequently out the skin, may be difficult, however, in certain circumstances, such as hallux valgus correction and lisfranc ligament repair. In addition, proper positioning of the buttons (for example, of the oblong and round button of the suture-button construct) may be difficult when the buttons are pulled through with suture and needle.
An instrument that would be able to push the buttons and attached suture through the drilled hole (instead of having to pull them through using the needle) is needed. Methods of advancing suture/button constructs through drilled tunnels or holes, particularly in situations where the needle and attached suture/button construct cannot be easily pulled through the hole and out the skin, are also needed.


A chopper circuit is provided for driving of electromagnets and/or step motor coils (8;26) in particular for a matrix printer, where the inductivity of the coil generates in connection with the applied voltage a maximum current, which current, however, is set lower by desired factor, whereby the current ripples (7a) are generated by chopping. These current ripples (7a) can be changed, that is, set to an optimum value depending on frequency inductivity and resistance of an electromagnetic coil (8) or, respectively, of a magnet coil winding (26). A driver circuit (9) for the electromagnetic coil (8) or, respectively, bridge circuit (27) for the step motor coil (26) have coordinated current data acquistion (10) with a current shut-off (11) in each case and that a digital control logic (12) is provided, which control logic generates a control signal (2) in the cycle of a shunted frequency generator, where the control signal (2) is present as an input and output signal at the input (13) of the driver circuit (9) or, respectively, of the bridge circuit, alternating with the current shut-off (11).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a chopper circuit for driving of electromagnet and/or step motor coils, in particular as employed in a matrix printer, where the inductivity of the coils in connection with the applied voltage generates a maximum current, which maximum current, however, is set lower by a desired factor, where the current ripples can be generated by chopping.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
The control and driving of electromagnetic coils in matrix print heads is performed with driver circuits, the purpose of which is to build up the magnetic field as quickly as possible and to let decay unavoidable counter inductions physically as quickly as possible during decline (German Patent DE-PS 31 39 502). In this context the object is desired to be able to pass renewed current through the electromagnetic coil in order to effect the renewed shooting of one and the same print needle in shorter time intervals, that is to achieve a quicker printing process.
Other solutions for the driving of electromagnetic coils in printers attempt to avoid an overcurrent passage (German Patent Application Laid Open DE-OS 31 51 242), in order to avoid the damaging lost heat in the coil. This lowering of the lost heat increases the lifetime of such matrix print heads.
It is a joint feature of the conventional solutions to keep the current flowing times as short as possible for reducing the lost heat and to allow a quick reinitiation of the current for a quick shooting of a printer needle.
Now, additional points of consideration have been found with regard to the requirement that different inductivities of electromagnetic coils and magnet coil windings in step motors require on the one hand an adaptation of the frequency and on the other hand the two types of coils can be driven in a system based on the same principals by one chopper circuit.

Chopper circuit for driving electromagnet and/or step motor coils such as employed in a matrix printer


A flexible data interface (21, 22) for a digital-to-analog converter (25, 26) includes a mute circuit (46, 70, 71 ) to mute and de-mute input data in 6 dB steps over a time period such as one-quarter of a second. The mute circuit includes a counter (46) to provide mute signals, a decoder (70) to decode the mute signals, and a shift matrix (71) to shift the data from zero to the maximum number of bits in response to the decoded signals. The interface (21, 22) includes a programmable shift register (43) to allow different data word lengths, such as 20-, 18-, or 16-bit, to be presented to the digital-to-analog converter (25, 26). The interface (21, 22) also includes a multiplexer (47) to allow left- and right-channel data to be received either time-multiplexed on a single pin, or on two separate pins.

Digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are useful for many applications. For example, a compact disc (CD) player retrieves information stored digitally on the CD and a DAC converts the information to an analog signal. The analog output of the DAC is then provided to a speaker. For a CD player, it is necessary to retrieve stereo information, having a left channel and a right channel. Commercial integrated circuits for CD players thus must provide a data interface for the information received from the CD, separate the information corresponding to the left and right channels, and process the left and right channel information in two separate DACs. Several DAC architectures are known, including switched-capacitor, R2R, and sigma-delta.
Several problems arise in these integrated circuits. Each sample on a CD has a certain size, typically sixteen bits. The integrated circuit receives the data serially but processes the data in corresponding multi-bit data words. DACs commonly come in different word sizes for different applications, but as technology expands, word lengths tend to increase. Another problem is that when the system is powered up or down, the DAC may go into an indeterminate state in which it can provide an output signal corresponding to large analog signals. When the DAC provides these large analog signals to a speaker, the result is undesirable audio pops. One method to eliminate the audio pops is to put relays at the output of the DAC to disable the output when the system is being powered up or down. However, these relays increase product cost because they are expensive and consume a significant amount of board space. A further problem is that in some circumstances board space is very limited, and extra pins on the integrated circuit are especially undesirable. A minimization of the number of pins would reduce the amount of board space. Each of these problems limits the efficacy with which integrated circuits for digital-to-analog applications perform.

Digital-to-analog converter with a flexible data interface


Embodiments herein include a method, service, apparatus, etc., that receives initial user input comprising natural language commands that identify the initial color selection. The method displays the initial color samples or patches corresponding to the initial color selection in a two-dimensional grid and receives additional user input comprising additional natural language commands and a refined axis selection. The embodiments herein revise the initial color selection to a revised color selection based on a color change magnitude, a color change direction, and a color change property. Then, this method matches the revised color selection to the computer program colors to produce refined matching colors. These refined matching colors are displayed as refined color samples or patches in the two-dimensional grid. The axes of the two-dimensional grid can correspond to the refined axis selection and the assigned names can also be displayed on the graphic user interface.

Embodiments herein generally relate to systems that provide an interface to users to allow the users to locate and select colors of items and more particularly to systems and methods that allow users to input natural language commands to perform color selection.
Color sets or collections are in widespread use in a range of commercial and consumer industries. Color sets or collections may be the names of actual colored objects in the collection, as is the case for a box of crayons or a collection of house paints, or they may be simply a collection of names associated with defined color specifications, as is the case for Pantone and other color collections used in the graphic design industry. In the case of Pantone and similar color collections, the collection can be implemented either in software or as books of colored sample swatches. The software implementation is essentially a file that relates Pantone names to color specifications. In most cases the colors in the collection are assigned names that may be more or less descriptive of the appearance of the color. One commercially available color selection system, Pantone (available from Pantone, Inc. Carlstadt, N.J., USA) names its colors using names like Pantone 172 CVC, which is a vivid orange color. Clearly finding the correct Pantone color name to match an intended color can be difficult.
Pantone attempts to assist users by producing swatch books in which the patches are grouped into similar colors and arranged in something like a spectral progression. Vendors such as X-Rite (Grand Rapids, Mich., USA) offer a tool which returns the closest Pantone color to a given color on the screen. Similar problems arise with paint colors or crayon colors where the names used often convey little or no information about the appearance of the color. Paint manufacturers try to address this problem by arrangement of colors on a color card according to a color order scheme.
Natural language presents a number of unique opportunities for assisting this named color selection problem. These opportunities are the subject of the embodiments of this disclosure. More specifically, the embodiments herein comprise a color selector that allows users to find colors from a collection or set of available colors by providing a natural language description of the color appearance desired. This is particularly useful in situations where the colors in the collection have names that convey little or no information concerning the appearance of the color.
In a simple embodiment, the user enters a verbal description of the desired color appearance and the application returns a set of color patches, displayed on the monitor, together with the names of the colors. A user then uses language commands to adjust the color and range of colors selected. In addition to natural language commands entered through a microphone or keyboard, the embodiments herein also allow the use of a pointing device and other user interface designs in combination with the natural language interface.
Thus, one method embodiment herein starts by receiving initial user input. This initial user input can comprise initial natural language commands that identify an initial color selection. The method displays a plurality of initial color samples or patches that correspond to the initial color selection in a two- or three-dimensional grid (e.g., using a pseudo 3D plot—using perspective to give the illusion of 3D) on a graphic user interface, such as a computer monitor. The axes of the two-dimensional grid can correspond to a predetermined standard axis system. Also, simultaneously displayed on the graphic user interface are assigned names of the initial color regions, and these names are positioned adjacent (above, below, beside, in, on, etc.) the initial color regions. This displays the names of the colors as they are defined in the collection being searched. If it is a Pantone collection then Pantone's names are displayed. If it was a collection of Crayon colors then it would be Crayon's names that are displayed. However, many times the initial natural language commands are different than assigned names (e.g., Pantone names) of the initial color regions because color names assignments are often made based on criteria that are fundamentally different than names commonly given by casual users e.g. for marketing purposes.
After displaying the initial color regions, the method may (or may not) receive at least one additional user input. Such additional user inputs can comprise additional natural language commands and/or a revised axis selection. These additional natural language commands can comprise a color change magnitude, a color change direction, and a color change property.
For example, a natural language command of "slightly more blue" spoken or typed into a graphic user interface provides the color change magnitude ("slightly"), color change direction ("more"), and color change property ("blue") used by embodiments herein to revise the colors displayed to the user.
Thus, the method revises the initial color selection to a revised color selection based on the color change magnitude, the color change direction, and the color change property provided in natural language format by the user. Then, the method can display revised color regions (patches) that correspond to the revised color selection in the two- or three dimensional grid of the display. However, the axes of the two-or three dimensional grids can also be modified to correspond to the revised axis selection provided by the user in the additional input. The selection of the axes will affect the spatial relationships of the colors to each other as they are displayed on the user interface. For example, if the axes are chosen to be lightness on the vertical axis and hue on the horizontal axis then color samples or patches will be arranged vertically in order of their lightness and horizontally in order of their hue.
In a similar manner to the display of the initial color regions, the display can also simultaneously display the assigned names of the revised color samples adjacent (above, below, beside, in, on, etc.) the revised color samples. The system may be configured such that the names are not displayed unless a pointing device is placed over the color or clicked on the color in order to avoid the display becoming too cluttered. Again, the additional natural language commands may be different than assigned names of the revised color samples. Indeed, the additional language commands comprise color change magnitudes, color change directions, and color change properties and do not necessarily correspond to the names a specific computer program may assign to colors.
The color change property comprises an indication of color, luminance, saturation, etc. The color change magnitude comprises an indication of how much of the color change property should be applied to the initial color selection. The color change direction comprises an indication of whether the color change property should be increased or decreased in the initial color selection.
The initial natural language commands comprise words maintained within at least one previously established library of natural language color names. Similarly, the additional natural language commands comprises a plurality of words maintained within at least one previously established library of natural language color modifiers (which can be the same library or different pre-established libraries).
When displaying the initial color samples and the revised color samples, the method displays a principal color patch (corresponding respectively to the best matching sample to either the initial color selection or the revised color selection) and displays secondary color samples having similarities to the principal color patch. Ones of the secondary color samples that are more similar to the principal color patch are positioned closer to the principal color patch, and ones of the secondary color samples that are less similar to the principal color patch are positioned further from the principal color patch. The concept of similarity depends on the axes and measurement system you are using. In Figure one, the invention has defined axes to be lightness and colorfulness. Thus, similarity is measured in these terms. If one changed the axes properties to be, say, hue and saturation, then the similarity relationships might well change.
Another method embodiment similarly begins by receiving initial user input comprising such natural language commands that identify the initial color selection. However, this embodiment then performs a step of matching the initial color selection to computer program colors used by an associated computer program to produce initial matching colors. Therefore, this embodiment is useful as an intermediary program that provides a service of interfacing between the user and the associated computer program that requires color selection.
This method similarly displays the initial color regions corresponding to the initial color selection in a two-dimensional grid and receives additional user input comprising additional natural language commands and a revised axis selection. This embodiment also revises the initial color selection to a revised color selection based on the color change magnitude, the color change direction, and the color change property. Then this method matches the revised color selection to the computer program colors to produce revised matching colors. These refined revised matching colors are displayed as revised color regions in the two-dimensional grid. Again, the axes of the two-dimensional grid can correspond to the revised axis selection and the assigned names can also be displayed on the graphic user interface.
Further, this embodiment can receive a selection of one or more of the revised color samples as one or more selected colors from the user. The selected color(s) are then provided to the associated computer program.
When matching of the initial user input to the computer program colors, this embodiment ignores the assigned names of the colors. To the contrary, rather than trying to match the natural language commands to arcane or irrelevant names given to the colors by the associated computer program, the embodiments herein match colorimetric or color appearance characteristic of the initial color selection and the revised color selection to the colorimetric or color appearance characteristics of the computer program colors (in a colorspace) to determine which of the computer program color patches to display to the user.
In other words, the embodiments herein use the pre-established libraries to identify the color (in terms of colorspace, colorimetric, or spectral characteristics) that is being requested by the user through the user's natural language commands. Then, the embodiments match these colorimetric or spectral characteristics (or colorspace) to the most similar color available in the associated computer program with which the embodiments herein are operating, without relying upon the names assigned to the available colors by the associated computer program. Thus, the embodiments herein convert the user's words to a color and then match that color to the associated computer program color, without performing any name matching. Then, when the embodiments herein display the available colors, the user is provided with the names of those colors as defined by the associated computer program. By operating in this manner, the user does not need to know the names of the colors that the associated computer program has assigned to colors, but instead the user can rely upon casual (generic) natural language names and commands to locate their desired color.
These and other features are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description.

Natural language color selector and navigator for selecting colors from a color set


A headlamp LED lighting apparatus, which lights an LED block 2 having a plurality of LEDs connected in series, samples the output voltage of the headlamp LED lighting apparatus, calculates the average voltage during every prescribed interval, and has a storage unit for storing the average voltage during every prescribed interval calculated. A control circuit 8 compares the voltage variation in the average voltage during every prescribed interval read out of the storage unit with a prescribed threshold, and decides an LED failure of the LED block 2 from a result of the comparison.

As a light source of vehicle headlamps, longer-life, lower power consumption LEDs have been spread as a substitute for halogen lamps. On the other hand, as for headlamps using LEDs as a light source, since the amount of light emission of a single LED is still small, a plurality of LEDs are arranged in a block to be lit so as to maintain the amount of light emission required as the headlamps. Thus, since the amount of light emission of the individual LEDs is small, it can easily occur that even if a part of the LEDs of the headlamps has stopped, a driver does not become aware of that. Accordingly, a device is necessary which detects that a part of the LEDs of the headlamps is not lit and notifies the driver of that.
Patent Document 1 discloses a lighting apparatus that lights headlamps which employ a block arranged by connecting a plurality of LEDs in series as the light source, and detects that a part of the LEDs of the headlamps short-circuits and becomes abnormal. The apparatus measures the output voltage of the lighting apparatus and the voltage of a single LED in the block, and makes, if a relative value between them varies, a decision that a part of the plurality of LEDs becomes abnormal.
In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a lighting apparatus that lights headlamps which employ a block arranged by connecting a plurality of LEDs in series as the light source. The apparatus captures a moment at which a change occurs in the output voltage of the lighting apparatus, and makes a decision that abnormality occurs because of a short circuit of a part of a plurality of LEDs.
As the foregoing documents offer as a problem, if the plurality of LEDs connected in series have variation in the forward voltage of the individual LEDs, even if the forward voltage of a single LED in the block of the series connection becomes zero volt because of a short circuit failure or becomes a Zener voltage of its parallel Zener diode because of an open failure, they are hidden under a variation tolerance of the output voltage of the LED lighting apparatus, and a decision of the failure cannot be made from only the output voltage. Although measuring the forward voltage of each of the plurality of LEDs constituting the LED block makes it possible to locate the failure, this is not reasonable because the configuration becomes complicated and a large number of measuring operations are very troublesome.
On the other hand, the forward voltage of the LEDs varies every moment in accordance with their energized duration and ambient temperature of travelling of a vehicle such as a temperature of an environment in which the headlamps are lit. Accordingly, the Patent Document 2, which employs only instantaneous voltage changes, has a problem of being unable to detect a failure accurately. In addition, the Patent Document 1, which monitors the forward voltage of a single LED to correct the changes in the forward voltages of the LEDs, has a problem of requiring new wiring for measuring the voltage and thus complicating the configuration.
The present invention is implemented to solve the foregoing problems. Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a headlamp LED lighting apparatus and a vehicle headlamp lighting system using the same, the apparatus being simple in construction and capable of positively detecting an abnormality occurring in a part of a plurality of LEDs in accordance with a change of the average of the output voltage detected at every prescribed interval in the vehicle headlamp that employs a block of a plurality of LEDs connected in series as a light source.

Headlamp LED lighting apparatus and vehicle headlamp lighting system


A method and server for optimizing hyperparameter tuples for training production-grade artificial intelligence (AI) models. For each one of the AI models, AI model features are extracted and, for the one AI model, an initial distribution of n hyperparameter tuplesis created considering the extracted AI model features therefor. A loop is repeated, until metric parameters are satisfied, comprising: evaluating latency from training the one AI model for each of the n hyperparameters tuples; evaluating model uncertainty from training the one AI model for each of the n hyperparameters tuples; for each of the n hyperparameters tuples, computing a blended quality measurement from the evaluated latency and evaluated model uncertainty; replacing m hyperparameter tuples having the worst blended quality measurements with m newly generated hyperparameter tuples. The metric parameters include one or more of a threshold value on model uncertainty and blended quality measurement gain between successive loops.

Massive labelled datasets are used to train machine learning and/or deep learning algorithms in order to produce artificial intelligence models. The desired models tend to become more complex and/or trained in a more complex and thorough manner, which leads to an increase in the quality and quantity of the data required. Crowdsourcing is an effective way to get input from humans in order to label large datasets. The human labelers from the crowd may mark-up or annotate the data to show a target that artificial intelligence model will be expected to predict. Therefore, the data used to train artificial intelligence models needs to be structured and labeled correctly. Furthermore, improving the efficiency of each of the AI training cycles is becoming an important concern, especially when moving away from strictly research AI model training towards production-grade AI model training.
The present invention addresses such needs.

Method and server for optimizing hyperparameter tuples for training production-grade artificial intelligence (AI)


A process for densifying a ceramic part includes creating an oxygen-containing sealed atmosphere, heating and pressurizing a ceramic part within the oxygen-containing sealed atmosphere to a high temperature and a high pressure, soaking the part at the high temperature and high pressure, and then cooling the part to ambient temperature and ambient pressure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for densifying ceramic parts, and particularly to a process for densifying sintered ferrite ceramic parts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The term ferrite generally denotes a class of non-metallic, ceramic ferromagnetic materials (MFe.sub.2 O.sub.4) having a spinel-crystal structure. The M in the formula popularly is MnZn or NiZn. Ferrites have desirable magnetic properties such as a high resistivity relative to ferromagnetic metals, low hysteresis losses and good permeability making them particular useful in magnetic heads for video, audio, data storage and other related applications.
Generally, ferrites are manufactured by mixing measured amounts of metal oxides or metal carbonates and then pulverizing the mixture. The pulverized mixture is calcined and then wet-milled. The resulting wet-slurry is then spray-dried with a binder to produce a ready to press powder Ferrite parts are formed by pressing, molding or extruding.
After forming, the parts are sintered at temperatures of about 1,000.degree. C. before the sintered parts are further densified to approximately theoretical density in a hot isostatic pressing (hipping) procedure. Prior art densifying processes "hip" the sintered ferrite part in a sealed totally-inert atmosphere, typically of argon. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,713, issued Apr. 3, 1984, entitled "Process for Making Fine Magnetic Ferrite Powder and Dense Ferrite Blocks," for a discussion of hipping nickel-zinc ferrite in a pure argon atmosphere.
Generally, hipping a ferrite or other ceramic part includes the steps of disposing a sintered ferrite part in a pressure vessel at ambient temperature and at ambient pressure, creating a sealed atmosphere within the vessel, heating the part to a soaking temperature while pressurizing the part to a soaking pressure, soaking the part at the soaking temperature and pressure, and then cooling the part to ambient temperature and pressure.
A major drawback encountered with prior art hipping procedures is that, during hot isostatic pressing, the ferrite undergoes chemical changes which adversely affect the magnetic properties of the resulting hipped ferrite part. The inventors believe that such changes are caused substantially by hipping in the totally inert atmosphere. In a pure argon atmosphere at a high temperature (e.g. 1185.degree. C.) and a high pressure (e.g. 15 KPSI), the inventors believe that the Fe ions of the ferrite are reduced, and that the reduced ions then change their sites in the crystal lattice of the ferrite. Thus, the chemistry of the hipped ferrite part is changed from that before hipping. For a discussion of various mechanisms which may be involved in this chemical change, see Van Vlack, Elements of Materials Engineering, Third Edition,--(Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1975).
An additional drawback of the prior art hot isostatic pressing procedure is the necessity for closely surrounding the sintered ferrite or other sintered ceramic with a protective matrix (or "frit"). The frit consists of sintered ceramic pieces having the same chemical composition as the sintered ceramic material to be hipped. The frit is utilized in a prior art attempt to minimize the previously discussed chemical changes.


A method for enabling confirmation of expected phase shifts of radio frequency (RF) signals emitted from respective elements of an antenna array, such as a phased array antenna used for providing directional RF signal radiation patterns needed for beamforming. As a RF signal transmitted via an antenna element of the antenna array is shifted, e.g., stepped, in phase, the resulting received RF signal is monitored. Following detection of a phase shift, a sample of the received RF signal is captured and stored, e.g., for subsequent analysis, such as comparison with one or more expected signal phase differences to characterize the directivity of the transmitted signal.

The present invention relates to testing of radio frequency (RF) signal transmitters designed to perform beamforming, and in particular, to detecting phase shifts of RF signals emitted from elements of an antenna array for comparison with expected signal phase differences.
Many of today's electronic devices use wireless signal technologies for both connectivity and communications purposes. Because wireless devices transmit and receive electromagnetic energy, and because two or more wireless devices have the potential of interfering with the operations of one another by virtue of their signal frequencies and power spectral densities, these devices and their wireless signal technologies must adhere to various wireless signal technology standard specifications.
When designing such wireless devices, engineers take extra care to ensure that such devices will meet or exceed each of their included wireless signal technology prescribed standard-based specifications. Furthermore, when these devices are later being manufactured in quantity, they are tested to ensure that manufacturing defects will not cause improper operation, including their adherence to the included wireless signal technology standard-based specifications.
Testing of such wireless devices typically involves testing of the receiving and transmitting subsystems of the device under test (DUT). The testing system will send a prescribed sequence of test data packet signals to a DUT, e.g., using different frequencies, power levels, and/or signal modulation techniques to determine if the DUT receiving subsystem is operating properly. Similarly, the DUT will send test data packet signals at a variety of frequencies, power levels, and/or modulation techniques for reception and processing by the testing system to determine if the DUT transmitting subsystem is operating properly.
For testing these devices following their manufacture and assembly, current wireless device test systems typically employ testing systems having various subsystems for providing test signals to each device under test (DUT) and analyzing signals received from each DUT. Some systems (often referred to as "testers") include at least a vector signal generator (VSG) for providing the source signals to be transmitted to the DUT, and a vector signal analyzer (VSA) for analyzing signals produced by the DUT. The production of test signals by the VSG and signal analysis performed by the VSA are generally programmable (e.g., through use of an internal programmable controller or an external programmable controller such as a personal computer) so as to allow each to be used for testing a variety of devices for adherence to a variety of wireless signal technology standards with differing frequency ranges, bandwidths and signal modulation characteristics.
Wireless devices, such as cellphones, smartphones, tablets, etc., make use of standards-based technologies, such as IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad ("Wi-Fi"), 3GPP LTE, and Bluetooth. The standards that underlie these technologies are designed to provide reliable wireless connectivity and/or communications. The standards prescribe physical and higher-level specifications generally designed to be energy-efficient and to minimize interference among devices using the same or other technologies that are adjacent to or share the wireless spectrum.
Tests prescribed by these standards are meant to ensure that such devices are designed to conform to the standard-prescribed specifications, and that manufactured devices continue to conform to those prescribed specifications. Most devices are transceivers, containing at least one or more receivers and transmitters. Thus, the tests are intended to confirm whether the receivers and transmitters both conform. Tests of the receiver or receivers (RX tests) of a DUT typically involve a test system (tester) sending test packets to the receiver(s) and some way of determining how the DUT receiver(s) respond to those test packets. Transmitters of a DUT are tested by having them send packets to the test system, which then evaluates the physical characteristics of the signals sent by the DUT.
More particularly, the IEEE 802.11ad standard provides specifications for wireless communications using millimeter wave frequencies centered nominally about 60 GHz. At those frequencies, signal attenuation is quite pronounced relative to lower-frequency Wi-Fi standards, such as 802.11n. Thus, omni-directional signal radiation is problematic. Instead, devices that subscribe to IEEE 802.11ad generally employ beamforming to obtain directional signal gain. Two devices establishing an 802.11ad link are designed to work cooperatively to determine a signal path producing an optimal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) prior to sending data packets containing payload data. At least one of such two devices will have the ability to beamform to achieve that optimal signal path. A common way of achieving this is for the beamforming device to use an antenna array in which each antenna element can have its transmitted signal phase shifted in predetermined increments (e.g., of 90 degrees thereby producing four distinct phases, or 11.25 degrees thereby producing 32 distinct phases). When antenna elements emit their transmit signals at particular phase shifts, this changes how the signal radiating from that element will interact with signals radiating from other elements. In essence, where these signals meet in space, they will undergo constructive (additive) or destructive (subtractive) interference. The resulting aggregation of such instances of interference determines the net signal gain realized from one device to the other. By appropriate adjustment of such phase shifts, an optimal effective SNR can be achieved between the two devices.
During manufacturing, a device designed for controlled shifting of signal phases that drive an integral or external antenna array, may experience a manufacturing defect that negatively affects in part or completely the ability of the device to shift phases and to beamform. Hence, during manufacturing test, sufficient testing may determine whether a device is properly shifting phases of the signals driving and being radiated from the antenna array elements, as well as whether the resulting effective radiated signal power stays within the applicable specification.
However, testing each device for each phase shift on each antenna element typically requires a relatively significant amount of test time. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a technique that reduces start and stop control and supports a continuous signal flow as phase shift adjustments were made along with the detection of phase-shift instances and captures of signal characteristics before and after such phase changes. This would decrease required test times and result in commensurately lower testing costs.

Method for enabling confirmation of expected phase shifts of radio frequency signals emitted from an antenna array


Methods and devices for minimally-invasive delivery of radiation to the posterior portion of the eye including a cannula comprising a distal portion connected to a proximal portion and a means for advancing a radionuclide brachytherapy source (RBS) toward the tip of the distal portion; a method of introducing radiation to the human eye comprising inserting a cannula between the Tenon's capsule and the sclera of the human eye and emitting the radiation from the cannula on an outer surface of said sclera.

Several diseases and conditions of the posterior segment of the eye threaten vision. Age related macular degeneration (ARMD), choroidal neovascularization (CNV), retinopathies (e.g., diabetic retinopathy, vitreoretinopathy), retinitis (e.g., cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis), uveitis, macular edema, and glaucoma are several examples.
Age related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. ARMD attacks the center region of the retina (i.e., macula), responsible for detailed vision and damages it, making reading, driving, recognizing faces and other detailed tasks difficult or impossible. Current estimates reveal that approximately forty percent of the population over age 75, and approximately twenty percent of the population over age 60, suffer from some degree of macular degeneration. "Wet" or exudative ARMD is the type of ARMD that most often causes blindness. In wet ARMD, newly formed choroidal blood vessels (choroidal neovascularization (CNV)) leak fluid and cause progressive damage to the retina. About 200,000 new cases of Wet ARMD occur each year in the United States alone.
Brachytherapy is treatment of a region by placing radioactive isotopes in, on, or near it. Both malignant and benign conditions are successfully treated with brachytherapy. Lesion location dictates treatment technique. For the treatment of tumors or tumor beds in the breast, tongue, abdomen, or muscle capsules, catheters are inserted into the tissue (interstitial application). Radiation may be delivered by inserting strands of radioactive seeds into these catheters for a predetermined amount of time. Permanent implants are also possible. For example, in the treatment of prostate cancer, radioactive seeds are placed directly into the prostate where they remain indefinitely. Restenosis of coronary arteries after stent implantation, a non-malignant condition, has been successfully treated by placing a catheter into the coronary artery, then inserting a radioactive source into the catheter and holding it there for a predetermined time in order to deliver a sufficient dose to the vessel wall. Beta emitters, such as phosphorus 32 (P-32) and strontium 90 (Sr-90), and gamma emitters, such as iridium 192 (Ir-192), have been used. The Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS), a multicenter randomized trial sponsored by the National Eye Institute and the National Cancer Institute demonstrated the utility of brachytherapy for the treatment of ocular cancers and/or tumors. The technique employs an invasive surgical procedure to allow placement of a surface applicator (called an episcleral plaque) that is applied extreocullarly by suturing it to the sclera. The gold plaque contains an inner mold into which radioactive iodine 125 (I-125) seeds are inserted. The gold plaque serves to shield the tissues external to the eye while exposing the sclera, choroid, choroidal melanoma, and overlying retina to radiation. The plaque remains fixed for a few days to one week in order to deliver approximately 85 Gy to the tumor apex.
Radiotherapy has long been used to treat arteriovenous malformations (AVM), a benign condition involving pathological vessel formation, in the brain. An AVM is a congenital vascular pathology characterized by tangles of veins and arteries. The dose applicable to the treatment of neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration (WAMD) by the devices described herein may be based on stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVM). SRS is used to deliver radiation to the AVM in order to obliterate it, and radiation is highly effective for AVM treatment. The minimum dose needed to obliterate an AVM with high probability is approximately 20 Gy. However, small AVMs (<1 cm) are often treated with a higher dose (e.g., 30 Gy) because when treating small AVMs, a significant amount of eloquent brain (e.g., brain regions wherein injury typically causes disabling neurological deficits) is not exposed to the high dose of radiation. The reported SRS doses correspond to the dose received at the periphery of the AVM, while the dose at the nidus (center) may be up to a factor of 2.5 times greater than the reported SRS dose.
The vascular region involved in WAMD is much smaller than even the smallest AVM, thus the effective doses are expected to be similar to the highest doses used for AVM. Studies of irradiation of WAMD have shown that greater than 20 Gy are required, although one study indicates some response at 16 Gy. Without wishing to limit the present invention to any theory or mechanism, the devices described herein for WAMD are expected to be effective by delivering a nearly uniform dose to the entire region of neovascularization or by delivering a nonuniform dose which may vary by a factor of 2.5 higher in the center as compared to the boundary of the region with minimum doses of 20 Gy and maximum doses of 75 Gy. A report using radiosurgery for macular degeneration describes that a dose of only 10 Gy was not effective (Haas et al, J Neurosurgery 93, 172-76, 2000). In that study, the stated dose is the peripheral dose with the center being about 10% greater. Furthermore, the study results were severely plagued by retinal complications.
Without wishing to limit the present invention to any theory or mechanism, it is believed that the devices of the present invention are advantageous over the prior art. For example, since SRS employs external photon beams which easily penetrate the ocular structures and pass through the entire brain, the patient must be positioned such that the beams may be directed towards the macula, making the geometric uncertainties of delivery a few millimeters. The devices of the present invention have geometric and dosimetric advantages because they may be placed at the macula with submillimeter accuracy, and the beta radioisotope may be used to construct the radiation source with predominately limited range.
The present invention features methods and devices for minimally-invasive delivery of radiation to the posterior portion of the eye.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and devices for minimally-invasive extraocular delivery of radiation to the posterior portion of the eye


Products having a relatively large thickness such as optical lenses for various industrial applications are molded by an injection molding machine by advancing the screw by operating an injection cylinder for filling metered quantity of a molten resin into a metal mold. The screw is rotated while it is being advanced. A plurality of position setters are provided along the stroke of the screw and their outputs are respectively compared with the output of a screw position detector by using comparators. The outputs of the comparators are used to effect a program control of screw rotation in multistages. According to a modified embodiment, during the filling step effected by screw rotation, the injection speed is varied stepwisely. The injection speed is reduced to zero for a short interval and then increased again. The number of revolutions of the screw, however, is maintained at a constant value until the injection speed is increased again.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for injection molding, and more particularly a programmable method and apparatus for injection molding adapted to mold relatively thick products such as optical lenses for various applications.
According to a prior art method and apparatus for injection molding suitable for molding relatively thick products, the screw is rotated at its forward limit position so as to inject and fill a molten resin into the cavity of a metal mold, the shrinkage of the product is prevented and the dimensional accuracy thereof is ensured with an injection over a short stroke carried out for the purpose of pressure holding. According to another prior art method, while the screw is maintained at the most retracted position, the screw is rotated for supplementing a deficient quantity of the injected molten resin and then the screw is advanced for filling the mold cavity with the molten resin.
However, according to the first method the filling speed of the molten resin into the metal mold effected by the screw rotation is lower than that effected by the advancement of the screw so that the fluidity of the resin injected into the metal mold decreases because the injected resin comes into contact with the low temperature metal mold, thus forming weld marks or flow marks. Such tendency of forming weld marks and flow marks can be decreased by increasing the fluidity of the molten resin by increasing the mold temperature or the number of revolutions of the screw. These measures, however, elongate the cooling time as well as the molding cycle time. When the number of revolutions of the screw is increased, the resin, particularly such resin as polyvinyl chloride tending to undergo pyrolysis would be overheated to degrade the quality of the products. Furthermore, it takes a long time to fill the resin into the mold cavity so that at the time of transferring to the pressure holding step, the molten resin would solidify near the gate of the metal mold with the result that the holding pressure would not be applied to all portions of the mold cavity causing shrinkage of the molded products.
With the second prior art method, at the time of transferring to the injection operation (screw advancement) from the screw rotation, the flow of the molten resin injected into the metal mold stops momentarily so that a flow mark will be formed at that instant which impairs the optical characteristics of a lens, for example. Moreover, as the screw is rotated at its retracted position the effective screw length would be shortened substantially, thus decreasing the quantity of the resin injected. Moreover, as the molten resin is injected at a relatively low speed into the metal mold by the rotation of the screw, the thickness of the skin layer of the molded product becomes large, and since the high temperature molten resin is rapidly injected into the skin layer by the advancement of the screw, the bonding force between the injected molten resin and the skin layer is small, thus decreasing the mechanical strength of the molded product.
Furthermore, while products having a relatively large thickness are being molded by using such thermoplastic resins as hard polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers which are difficult to burn, and polyoxide methylene with an injection molding machine of the type described above, when shortage or clogging of the resin occurs in a hopper, the resin would be decomposed by the heat generated by the rotation of the screw, thus resulting in products of poor quality. According to a prior art method a timer is provided which starts its time measuring operation and produces an alarm signal when an interval of screw rotation exceeds a predetermined time. However, when shortage of the resin occurs during the filling step the resin remaining in the heating cylinder undergoes heat decomposition due to the heat generated by the high speed rotation of the screw thus not only causing erosion of the inside of the heating cylinder and metal mold but also generating poisonous gas.

Control systems for injection molding machines


The luminescent phosphor degradation in a cathode ray display tube, caused by aging, is decreased. This decrease is achieved by introducing before and/or during evacuation a hydrolyzable gas into the tube's inner space for a limited time interval, using a partial pressure which is essentially larger than the eventual final vacuum pressure of the cathode ray tube, and then allowing the final vacuum pressure to be achieved without any further supply of gas. Thereafter, the cathode ray tube is sealed in a gastight manner.

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a cathode ray display tube whose inner space has a phosphor coating which can be excited to luminescent emission, said inner space being evacuated by means of a vacuum pump and being subsequently sealed in a gaslight manner.
Display tubes of this type are, for example field emission guns (see Information Display 5, 1989, pp. 17 et seq., or IEEE Trans. E.D. 36, 1989, pp. 225 etc.). Such tubes must also be subsequently evacuated (see Valvo Berichte, 1974, pp. 77, et seq.).
The emission may be stimulated in an arbitrary manner, particularly by means of electron beams. It is known (Philips Technical Review 1989, pp. 335 et seq.) that the luminance of the light decreases with time often referred to as aging or (degradation) at a given electron irradiation intensity, dependent on the quantity of charge of the electron bombardment.
OH groups deposited on phosphor crystals are primarily responsible for the degradation, particularly when silicate-containing binding materials are used in manufacturing the phosphor coating.
Hitherto it has been attempted to decrease the degradation by heating the phosphor coating to approximately 350.degree. C. However, only limited success was obtained with this method.
For example, at relatively low electron energies up to 5 keV, as are usual in flat cathode ray tubes, the heat treatment of the phosphor coating in vacuo at 350.degree. C. does not lead to an adequate decrease of the degradation, because the phosphor surface changes at this high temperature to such an extent that this leads to a greater sensitivity to electron bombardment. However, at lower temperatures of approximately 100.degree. C., the removal of the OH groups from the phosphor surface is much less effective.


A video processing system includes apparatus for panning and magnifying portions of a source image stored in memory. Viewer control circuitry generates center coordinates of the portion of the image to be displayed and also a magnification factor. Further circuitry, responsive to the center coordinates and the magnification factor, generates starting addresses for reading the appropriate portion of the source image from memory. The system monitors the relative values of the center coordinates and the magnification factor to preclude blanking intervals of the source image from being displayed.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,581 entitled "Television Picture Zoom System," which is hereby incorporated by reference, relates to circuitry that produces a magnified image representing a portion of a video frame from a conventional television signal. The portion of the field which is magnified, hereinafter referred to as the source portion, is determined by signals provided via viewer controls. These controls define the upper left corner of the image, in terms of horizontal and vertical pixel positions in the unmagnified field, and a magnification factor to be used to produce the magnified display.
In this referenced patent, the upper left corner of the source portion is used as a reference point when the magnification factor is changed or when the source portion is panned around the unmagnified field. However, this may not be the best reference point. Intuitively, a viewer manipulating the controls would expect the center of the image to be the reference point since this is the reference used by mechanical zoom apparatus such as photographic zoom lenses. If, for example, the upper left corner of a source portion were used as the reference point, an object of interest in the center of the picture may be moved out of the display when the magnification factor is increased.
From the point of view of the circuit designer, it is more convenient to provide the pixel positions of the upper left corner of the portion of the image to be magnified to the zoom and pan system. If, for example, the portion of the image being magnified were near an edge of the frame and the magnification factor were reduced, maintaining a constant center position would cause portions of the video signal outside of the active video region (i.e. the horizontal or vertical blanking intervals) to be included in the magnified display. Moreover, it is easier to determine the allowable limits of the source portion during a pan operation when the upper left corner is used as the reference point than when the image center is used as the reference point.

Apparatus and a method for automatically centering a video zoom and pan display


Distributing information over a network is disclosed. Nodes are grouped into regions. Preferred nodes are designated. A source of content to be delivered to a preferred node using a preferred algorithm is indicated to at least one preferred node. At least one common node is assigned the preferred node as a relay of information.

Users are increasingly using networks such as the Internet to access content, such as video files and live streaming/video on demand content, via client machines. Such content is often large, time sensitive, or both. As demand for such content increases, there are challenges in distributing that content efficiently and with high quality.
Two ways that content owners can distribute content are by using their own servers or buying the service of a content delivery network (CDN). In the later case, content owners typically contract with CDNs to provide content to clients, e.g., in exchange for a fee. Requests by clients for content are directed to CDN nodes that are close by, e.g., the fewest hops away from the clients. The client then downloads the content from the appropriate CDN node. In both cases, content is distributed by servers, owned by either the content owner directly or the CDN. Unfortunately, as demand on server capacity increases (e.g., as the content size gets bigger and/or the number of requests to the content increase), meeting that demand by increasing capacity is often very expensive, requiring a larger number of servers or more powerful servers to be deployed.
Another way that content can be distributed is through use of peer-to-peer (P2P) systems. In a typical P2P scenario, a node downloads content from the system, and also uploads content to other nodes. In a hybrid content distribution system, a fraction of the content is transmitted by the servers and the rest is transmitted by nodes using their uplink capacity. Unfortunately, ISPs are facing increased network congestion from P2P and hybrid content distributions. One reason is that traditional P2P approaches rely on peers making independent routing decisions based on local information. This is approach is typically taken so that there is no single scalability bottleneck and no single point of failure. Unfortunately, such an approach may result in poor performance, inefficient resource utilization, and other shortcomings.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a better way to distribute information over a network.


A battery cell monitoring system and method of operating the battery cell monitoring system are provided. The system includes a sense line. A plurality of cell sense units each include a tank circuit having a center frequency and are electrically connected to the sense line. A cell sense reader unit electrically couples to the sense line and includes a variable frequency radio frequency generator for outputting a radio frequency signal having a signal frequency that is variable to the plurality of cell sense units. The cell sense reader unit measures an impedance of the sense line as the signal frequency varies and determines the center frequency of each of the cell sense units. The cell sense reader unit is also configured to determine a cell voltage of each battery cell electrically connected to one of the plurality of cell sense units based on the center frequency determined.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Batteries are commonly used on a myriad of different applications, from portable electronic devices to electric and hybrid vehicles. Vehicle batteries, for example, include numerous battery cells and may include battery monitoring systems. Typical battery monitoring systems monitor overall battery temperature, voltage and current and will sometimes monitor these parameters on a "module" level. A module is a subset of multiple battery cells in the battery connected in such a way that the parameters can be measured for the module alone.
Nevertheless, monitoring at the battery level or module level does not give the best insight into the performance of each individual cell in the battery. This is particularly true when the number of cells in the module or battery is large. With parameters from a large number of cells combined in a bulk measurement, small changes in individual cells are difficult to discern. Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved battery cell monitoring system.

NEAPCO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY HOLDINGS, LLC


A gas jet is positioned above the water nozzle of a system provided for ultrasonically detecting flaws in an article to be inspected. The water nozzle directs a substantially level water jet stream against an upright surface of the article as it is moved transversely of the nozzle. A transducer associated with the water nozzle transmits ultrasonic energy along the water jet stream toward the article, then receives echoes from flaws existing in the article. The gas jet directs toward the upright surface of the article a gas jet stream which is substantially parallel to, and vertically aligned with, the water jet stream. The gas jet stream serves to deflect the water splashing off the surface of the article after impact therewith and prevents the splashing water from descending toward and striking the water jet stream. The water nozzle and the gas jet may be positioned such that the longitudinal axes of the water jet stream and of the gas jet stream are both substantially perpendicular to the surface of the article being inspected. Preferably, the water jet stream exhibits laminar flow. Signals may be recorded which are received from the transducer representative of the attenuation of the ultrasonic energy caused by the condition of the article being inspected. In a further embodiment, opposed systems, each comprised of a water nozzle, gas jet, and associated transducer, may be positioned to direct water jet and gas jet streams against the article from opposite sides of the article, the opposed water jet and gas jet streams being substantially parallel and vertically aligned.

The present invention relates generally to ultrasonic testing of articles and, more particularly, to apparatus providing relief against backsplash resulting when the laminar flow water column used for transmitting the ultrasonic waves creates a cascading waterfall after striking the article being tested and impairs the quality of the water column.
II. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been known to perform nondestructive inspection employing ultrasonic waves travelling between a transducer and the article being inspected. Since liquids are a good media for transmitting this wave energy, it has been customary in the past to submerge the transducer or transducers and the object to be inspected, or at least part of the object to be inspected, in the liquid medium. This system worked as long as the object being inspected was not too large. However, it was completely impractical when the object being inspected was of substantial size such as, for example, large sheets or plates.
For such large objects, it heretofore became the practice to mount the transducer in a suitably shaped container which had an opening shaped to closely match the contour of the object and, by keeping the container filled with liquid, to attempt to maintain a fluid seal sufficient to keep the container full and a liquid coupling between the transducer and the object. This method had the inherent disadvantage of requiring a close fit between the edges of the container and the surface of the object being inspected which made it impossible to accommodate large surface defects and protrusions such as weld beads, gouges, or changes in contour, without losing the liquid coupling. Since a break in the fluid connection between the transducer and the article interrupts the inspection process, this method proved to be unsatisfactory.
Another method sometimes suggested for coupling the transducer to the article employs a housing for the transducer which has an outlet equipped with a nozzle. The liquid is introduced into the housing under pressure so that it is expelled through the nozzle toward the surface of the object as a high velocity, uncontained, stream or jet of liquid. The transducer is located in the housing so that the ultrasonic waves can travel to the article through this high velocity stream of liquid. In more recent versions of this method, a pair of aligned transducers with their associated nozzles are positioned on opposite sides of a large plate or other object to be inspected. This has generally come to be a very satisfactory ultrasonic inspection method.
In order to more clearly define the evolution of ultrasonic inspection techniques and the existing state of the art in this regard, a number of specific prior art disclosures will here be mentioned. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,662,590 issued May 16, 1971 to Shiraiwa, No. 3,555,891 issued Jan. 19, 1971 to Lewis, and No. 3,255,626 issued Jun. 14, 1966 to Van Der Veer all broadly disclose ultrasonic inspection apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,325 issued Feb. 18, 1964 to Rankin et al. discloses the use of air jets from a manifold to keep the top surfaces of ultrasonic probes free of the coupling water. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,122,661 issued Feb. 25, 1964 to Joy and 3,420,097 issued Jan. 7, 1969 to Battermann et al., disclose the use of air jets in combination with ultrasonic inspection devices to confine the coupling fluid to a desired area. U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,833 issued Jul. 17, 1973 to Armstrong and French Patent No. 1,275,693 issued Nov. 2,1961 to U.K Atomic Energy Authority both disclose the use of air jets in combination with ultrasonic inspection devices to deflect the coupling water stream. U.S. Pat. No. 2,751,783 issued Jun. 26, 1956 to Erdman and Japanese Disclosure No. 46-8391 dated Aug. 2,1967 to Mitsubishi Juko disclose, respectively, a splash box and a shield for containing the coupling water stream used in an ultrasonic inspection device.

Backsplash protection for ultrasonic inspection system


A filling material includes a support base member and a metal layer, the metal layer including a first metal layer and a second metal layer and being disposed on one side of the support base member, the first metal layer being an aggregate of nano metal particles and having a film thickness enabling melting at a temperature lower than a melting point, the second metal layer being an aggregate of metal particles having a lower melting point than the first metal layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a filling material to be used for filling a metal or alloy conductor into a minute space and a filling method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As means for realizing a three-dimensional circuit configuration in electronic devices including various scales of integrated circuits and various types of semiconductor devices and chips thereof, there has been proposed a TSV (through-silicon-via) technology of providing a circuit board with a large number of through electrodes and stacking these circuit boards. With the TSV technology, many functions can be packed into a small footprint. In addition, important electrical pathways between devices can be dramatically shortened to facilitate increasing processing speed. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002-237468 & 2002-368082 disclose a molten metal filling method as a through electrode forming technology essential to the TSV technology.
When using the above molten metal filling method for forming a through electrode in a semiconductor chip or a wafer previously formed with a semiconductor circuit element (via-last), it is necessary to avoid thermal deterioration of the semiconductor circuit element and an accessory organic substance of the wafer due to the heat of fusion. In order to avoid the thermal deterioration, a metal material having a melting point of about 200° C. or less has to be employed as a metal material for forming the through electrode.
In order to realize a three-dimensional circuit configuration, on the other hand, a plurality of wafers obtained by using the TSV technology have to be stacked and joined together in an atmosphere having a temperature of 300° C. or more.
However, while the melting point of the metal material for forming the through electrode is 200° C. or less, the heat treatment temperature for joining the wafers in a stacked state is 300° C. or more, so that the through electrode may be melted at the joining process of the wafers.

Filling material and filling method using the same


A baby stroller includes a frame unit, two support units connected with the frame unit, two linking units connected with the frame unit and the support units, a cross connection unit mounted between the support units and the linking units, a locking mechanism mounted between the support units, a handle unit connected with the support units, and a pull strap connected with the linking units. Thus, the upper frame and the lower frame of the frame unit are pivoted downward to be close to each other so as to collapse the frame unit into two parts after the stroller is folded. In addition, the user has to unlock the locking mechanism and each of the linking units so as to collapse the baby stroller so that the baby stroller is folded by two stages.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stroller and, more particularly, to a foldable baby stroller.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional baby stroller comprises a main frame, a plurality of castors, a canopy, a handlebar, and a locking mechanism. When the locking mechanism is unlocked, the main frame can be collapsed so as to fold the baby stroller. However, the folded baby stroller has a greater height, thereby causing inconvenience in storage, transportation and packaging of the folded baby stroller. In addition, the user only needs to unlock the locking mechanism so as to fold the baby stroller, so that the baby stroller is easily collapsed when the locking mechanism is unlocked due to accidental hit or unintentional touch, thereby causing danger to the infant seated in the baby stroller.


Systems and methods for displaying computer environment monitoring data can include a multi-tier cache memory associated with a processor of a first device. The multi-tier cache memory can include a first cache layer, and a second cache layer having a higher data access rate than the first cache layer. The first device can receive, from a second device, a data block including monitoring data selected based on user profile information associated with a user of the first device. The first device can store the data block in the first cache layer, and generate a first data sub-block using data from the data block having a higher priority for display as compared to other data of the data block. The first device can store the first data sub-block in the second cache layer, and provide the first data sub-block for display on a display device from the second cache layer.

Most institutions rely on their computer systems to execute daily business operations. In particular, government institutions, corporations, financial institutions, hospitals, universities, nonprofit organizations and/or other businesses can use their computer systems to maintain and manage business data, execute transactions or offered services, automate processes, machines or devices, or monitor and control "critical infrastructure," such as communications networks, power grids, power plants, or weather, aviation or military radar systems. For instance, power grids, medical devices, and/or manufacturing machinery can be automated via computer systems. Also, financial institutions execute transactions with their customers or other institutions electronically. Furthermore, business records, archives, customer information, or other business related data are now stored electronically.
The functional importance and business value of computer systems for respective institutions and their customers call for operational reliability and enhanced cyber security of such computer systems. Many institutions spend substantial amounts of money and resources to secure their computer systems from intruders, hackers, viruses and/or other threats, and to comply with local regulations pertaining to securing computer systems. For instance, computer systems employ firewalls, antivirus and malware protection software, data encryption, secure communication channels, and/or other cyber security measures. Also, many businesses and institutions invest substantially in computer resources and information technology (IT) work force to guarantee continuous availability of their systems and services to potential customers. However, the increased complexity of many computer systems and/or the increasingly sophisticated cyber security threats make many computer systems vulnerable to cyber security attacks, even when such measures are employed, and system or services' outage (e.g., one or more servers or applications going down).

Systems and methods for multi-tier cache visual system and visual modes


In one example, a system is provided, comprising an exhaust reductant injector upstream of a mixer. The mixer includes a plurality of concentrically smaller rings interconnected via fins having a width varying in a flow direction, the fins arranged annularly, and with a first set of fins between a first pair of adjacent rings angularly offset from a second set of fins between a second pair of adjacent rings, the first and second pairs of rings sharing one common ring. In this way, it is possible to atomize, redirect, and mix the exhaust flow over a short distance to effectively react with NOx in a downstream SCR catalyst.

A technology such as Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) may be utilized for NOx reduction and to achieve diesel emissions requirements. In one approach, aqueous urea is sprayed into the exhaust gas stream which subsequently reacts with NOx on the surface of an SCR catalyst, resulting in reduction of engine-out NOx emissions. For improved NOx reduction under some conditions, the liquid urea sprayed into the diesel exhaust is typically atomized and mixed before it reaches the catalyst substrate.
In one mixing approach, a two-mixer system may be utilized to provide such mixing, where a first element (e.g., an atomizer) of the system redirects the exhaust flow and catches the urea spray for atomization, and a second element (e.g., a twist mixer) aids in mixing the exhaust flow. As an example, the atomizer may include several (e.g., nine) louvers, and the twist mixer may include a helical mixing element which is welded onto a center rod.
The inventors of the present application have recognized a problem in such previous solutions. For example, twisting the flow requires a certain length, or distance, in order to impart sufficient angular momentum to the flow, without overly restricting the flow and creating too much back-pressure. However, some vehicle configurations may restrict available packaging space, particularly the length between the reductant injection and the position of the SCR catalyst.