A moving picture coding method includes partitioning a picture into blocks each of which includes pixels, selecting a scanning scheme from among plural scanning schemes, scanning the blocks according to the selected scanning scheme, and coding the blocks in an order in which the blocks are scanned. In the partitioning, the picture is partitioned into rows and columns of macroblocks each of which is partitioned into the blocks. The plural scanning schemes include a first scanning scheme for scanning the blocks in the macroblock per row of blocks.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to coding for compression of moving picture data, and in particular to a moving picture coding method, a moving picture decoding method, and apparatuses of the same which achieve high coding efficiency.
2. Background Art
Moving picture data is being adopted in increasing numbers of applications, ranging from video-telephoning and video-conferencing to DVD and digital television. When moving picture data is being transmitted or recorded, a substantial amount of data has to be sent through conventional transmission channels of limited available frequency bandwidth or has to be stored on conventional storage media of limited data capacity. In order to transmit and store digital data on conventional channels and media, it is inevitable to compress or reduce the volume of digital data.
For the compression of moving picture data, a plurality of moving picture coding standards has been developed. Such moving picture standards are, for instance, the ITU-T standard denoted by H.26x and ISO/IEC standards denoted by MPEG-x. The letter "x" represents for example, 1, 2, and 4. The most up-to-date and advanced moving picture coding standard is currently the standard denoted as H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.
The coding approach underlying most of these standards consists of the following main stages:
(a) Partitioning each individual video frame into blocks which include pixels, in order to subject each video frame to data compression at a block level.
(b) Scanning each block of moving picture data according to a fixed scanning scheme that defines the order in which the blocks will be coded.
(c) Predicting each scanned block by exploiting either temporal dependencies between blocks of subsequent frames (motion compensation) or spatial dependencies between the current block and previously coded blocks of the same frame (intra-frame prediction).
(d) Computing a residual between the scanned block and its prediction, and coding the residual of each block.
It is a particular approach of current moving picture coding standards that the image information is transformed from the spatial domain into the frequency domain. Image compression is achieved by representing the image content by only a few frequency components. A natural image content is mostly concentrated in the coefficients of the lower frequency domain. Higher frequency parts, for which the human eye is less sensitive anyway, can thus be removed or quantized in order to lower the amount of data to be coded.
In many applications, the volume or bandwidth available for storing or transmitting coded moving picture data is seriously restricted. There is thus the urgent need to compress the moving picture data as far as possible. However, increasing data compression rate by quantizing even more coarsely in order to reduce the amount of data inevitably leads to a deterioration of image quality.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a moving picture coding apparatus of the prior art. A moving picture coding apparatus 100 includes a subtractor 110, a transform and quantization unit 120, an inverse quantization and inverse transform unit 130, an adder 135, a deblocking filter 137, a memory 140, an intra-frame prediction unit 150, a motion compensation prediction unit 160, a motion estimator unit 170, an intra/inter switch 180, and an entropy coding unit 190. The subtractor 110 calculates a difference between a current block to be coded and a prediction signal which is based on a previously coded block stored in the memory 140. The transform and quantization unit 120 transforms the prediction error obtained from the subtractor 110 from the spatial domain to the frequency domain and quantizes the obtained transform coefficients. The entropy coding unit 190 entropy codes the quantized transform coefficients.
In accordance with the H.264/AVC standard, the input image is partitioned into macroblocks. The moving picture coding apparatus 100 only transmits differences between blocks of an input moving picture sequence and their predictions based on previously coded blocks ("the locally decoded image"). These differences are determined in the subtractor 110, which receives the blocks to be coded in order to subtract the prediction signal therefrom.
The locally decoded image is provided by a local decoding unit (the inverse quantization and inverse transform unit 130, the adder 135, and the deblocking filter 137) incorporated into the moving picture coding apparatus 100. The local decoding unit performs the coding steps in reverse manner. The inverse quantization and inverse transform unit 130 dequantizes the quantized coefficients and applies an inverse transform to the dequantized coefficients. In the adder 135, the differences obtained by the inverse transform are added to the prediction signal to form the locally decoded image. Further, the deblocking filter 137 reduces block noise in the decoded image.
The type of prediction that is employed by the moving picture coding apparatus 100 depends on whether the macroblocks are coded in "Intra" or "Inter" mode. In "Intra" mode, the moving picture coding standard H.264/AVC uses a prediction scheme based on already coded macroblocks of the same image in order to predict subsequent macroblocks. In "Inter" mode, motion compensation/prediction between corresponding blocks of several consecutive frames is employed.
Only Intra-coded images (I-pictures) can be decoded without reference to any previously decoded image. The I-pictures provide error propagation resilience for the coded moving picture sequence. Further, entry points into bit streams of coded data are provided by the I-pictures in order to enable a random access, that is, to access I-pictures within the coded moving picture sequence. A switch between Intra-mode, that is, a processing by the intra-frame prediction unit 150, and Inter-mode, that is, a processing by the motion compensation prediction unit 160, is controlled by the intra/inter switch 180.
In "Inter" mode, a macroblock is predicted from blocks of previous frames by employing motion compensation. The motion prediction is accomplished by the motion estimator unit 170, receiving the current input signal and the locally decoded image. Motion estimation yields two-dimensional motion vectors which represent a pixel motion between the current block and the corresponding block in previous frames. Based on the estimated motion, the motion compensation prediction unit 160 provides a prediction signal.
For both the "Intra" and the "Inter" coding modes, the differences between the current and the predicted signal are transformed into transform coefficients by the transform and quantization unit 120. Generally, an orthogonal transform such as a two-dimensional Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) or an integer version thereof is employed.
The transform coefficients are quantized in order to reduce the amount of data that has to be coded. The step of quantization is controlled by quantization tables that specify the accuracy and the number of bits that are used to code each frequency coefficient. Lower frequency components are usually more important for image quality than fine details so that more bits are spent for coding the low frequency components than for the higher ones.
For reconstructing the coded images by a decoding apparatus, the coding process is applied in reverse manner.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a moving picture decoding apparatus of the prior art. A moving picture decoding apparatus 200 includes an entropy decoding unit 210, an inverse quantization and inverse transform unit 220, an adder 230, a deblocking filter 240, a memory 250, an intra-frame prediction unit 260, and a motion compensation prediction unit 270.
In the entropy decoding unit 210, entropy coding of transform coefficients and motion data by the entropy coding unit 190 is reversed. The entropy decoded block is then submitted to the inverse quantization and inverse transform unit 220 and the entropy decoded motion data is sent to the motion compensation prediction unit 270. The result of the inverse quantization and inverse transform contains prediction errors. The prediction errors are added by the adder 230 to the prediction signal stemming from the motion compensation prediction unit 270 in Inter-mode or stemming from the intra-frame prediction unit 260 in Intra-mode. The reconstructed image is passed through the deblocking filter 240 and is stored in the memory 250 to be used by the intra-frame prediction unit 260 and the motion compensation prediction unit 270.
According to the H.264/AVC standard, an image is partitioned into non-overlapping macroblocks of 16×16 pixels size. These macroblocks may be further partitioned into 4-by-4 blocks of 4×4 pixels size or into 2-by-2 blocks of 8×8 pixels size. These macroblocks together with the unpartitioned 16×16 pixel size block are then referred to as I4MB (Macro Block), I8MB, and I16MB, respectively.
The above described coding and decoding mechanisms are applied to each block separately. Consequently, the 2-dimensional arrangement of blocks has to be converted into a 1-dimensional sequence in which the blocks will be handled by the coding apparatus and the decoding apparatus. In other words, the blocks have to be scanned according to a certain scanning scheme that defines the order in which the blocks will be processed.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a scanning scheme for blocks in accordance with the H.264/AVC standard. Arrows indicate the order in which blocks of an I8MB macroblock (310) and an I4MB macroblock (320) are scanned. Numerals 0 to 15 in the figure give the order in which the 4×4 pixel blocks of the I4MB macroblock (320) are scanned. Reference 350 indicates individual pixels of the blocks.
The order in which the blocks are scanned is particularly important for intra-coded blocks, that is, for blocks where spatial correlations are exploited in order to reduce the amount of information that has to be coded. As described above, intra-coded blocks are predicted from adjacent pixels of already coded blocks. This prediction value is subtracted from the actual block and only the residual is coded. Hence, prediction accuracy is crucial for a high compression ratio.
FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating the intra-prediction of a macroblock as specified in the H.264/AVC standard. In the figure, the shaded area represents already coded blocks, whereas non-shaded area represents blocks yet to be coded. The 4×4 pixels of the current block 6 have to be extrapolated from adjacent pixels of already coded blocks. The 13 pixels (430) made up of one pixel of a block 1, four pixels of a block 3, four pixels of a block 4, four pixels of a block 5 are employed to predict the current block by replicating the corresponding pixel values in a certain prediction direction (440).
FIG. 4B summarizes the nine different prediction modes defined in the H.264/AVC standard. Modes 0, 1, and 3 to 8 are characterized by the prediction direction in which the reference pixels (430) are replicated into the current block. For example, in mode 1, four pixels of the block 4 are replicated as prediction values of the 4×4 pixels of the current block. Mode 2 (DC) employs the average of the reference pixels to fill the current block homogeneously, as a prediction value of each pixel of the current block.
Non-Patent Reference 1: ITU-T Rec.H264|ISO/IEC 14496-10 version 1 "Information technology—Coding of audio-visual objects—Part 10: Advanced video coding"
However, according to the above described techniques of the prior art, there is a problem that it is not possible to improve the spatial prediction accuracy in the intra-prediction. This results in a problem that the coding efficiency cannot be improved either. With reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, these problems shall be described concretely. In the figure, the shaded area represents previously coded blocks, whereas non-shaded area represents blocks yet to be coded.
As it is apparent from the scanning order and the examples shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, not all reference pixels are available for all blocks. In FIG. 5A, for example, a block 3 has to be predicted without the four reference pixels (540) of the block 4, because the block 4 has not yet been coded. This impairs intra-prediction modes 3 and 7, and leads to a higher prediction error. Hence, more bits have to be spent to code the residual, and the prediction accuracy and the coding efficiency degrade. Further, the higher prediction error leads to lower image quality.
FIG. 5B shows another example of missing reference pixels due to the scanning order. A block 13 has to be coded without four reference pixels (540) that are part of the next macroblock. Consequently, the prediction accuracy is impaired, leading to higher prediction errors and degraded performance of the coding apparatus.
Another problem of the H.264/AVC standard is related to the set of available prediction modes. This set of prediction modes is asymmetric in the sense that prediction direction is primarily diagonally down right. In other words, there is, for instance, no horizontal left or vertical up prediction mode. Obviously, this asymmetry is due to the primary scanning direction of the H.264/AVC standard, which is also diagonally down right. It is well conceivable that depending on the image content, certain prediction directions other than those shown in FIG. 4B may deliver superior prediction accuracy. However, due to the fixed scanning scheme of H.264/AVC standard, no such improvement can be realized.
An object of the present invention is to provide a moving picture coding method, a moving picture decoding method, and apparatuses of the same that improve the spatial prediction accuracy in intra-prediction.

Moving picture coding method, moving picture decoding method, and apparatuses of the same

Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America


A violet quinacridone pigment composition comprising a pigmentary 2,9-dichloroquinacridone pigment having a specific surface area below 75 m.sup.2 /g and a sulfonated indanthrone or copper phthalocyanine. The compositions have excellent fastness properties when used for pigmenting engineering plastics.

The object of the present invention is to provide a violet-colored quinacridone pigment of high saturation which has the heat stability required for utility as a pigment in engineering plastics. This object is achieved by preparing violet pigment compositions comprising a 2,9-dichloroquinacridone pigment in combination with a sulfonic acid or a sulfonic acid salt of a blue-colored indanthrone or copper phthalocyanine.
Quinacridones are valuable pigments. The beta crystal modification of the unsubstituted quinacridone, C.I. Pigment Violet 19, is known for its attractive violet color. Although it is of coloristic interest, the violet-colored beta-phase of unsubstituted quinacridone possesses insufficient heat stability to have utility for pigmenting the engineering plastics.
Since 2,9-dichloroquinacridone having a specific surface area below 30 m.sup.2 /g has good heat stability, it is useful for pigmenting engineering plastics. However, due to its large particle size, the color is shifted to a unique red color shade from the known magenta color of smaller particle size 2,9-dichloroquinacridone. Thus, no violet colored quinacridone pigment is known to possess the heat-stability required for utility as a pigment for the engineering plastics.
Indanthrone and copper phthalocyanine are known in the art as blue pigments which possess good heat stability. The sulfonic acid derivatives of indanthrone and copper phthalocyanine are known as dyestuffs and as intermediates in the preparation of dyestuffs.
The present invention is based on the discovery that violet pigment compositions comprising a 2,9-dichloroquinacridone pigment in combination with a sulfonic acid or a sulfonic acid salt of a blue-colored indanthrone or copper phthalocyanine possess high saturation and the heat stability required for utility as a pigment in engineering plastics. In addition, the inventive pigment compositions are highly dispersible in the plastic medium to be pigmented. Thus, the inventive compositions provide a violet quinacridone pigment which is suitable for the utility of pigmenting engineering plastics.
Although violet mixtures of pigmentary indanthrone or copper phthalocyanine with pigmentary 2,9-dichloroquinacridone can be prepared, a larger amount of the blue pigment is needed in order to achieve the desired violet color. Because of the larger amount of the blue pigment required, the saturation of these pigment mixtures is too low. In addition, these pigment mixtures are not as homogeneously dispersed in the plastic medium as the present compositions.

Compositions based on 2,9-dichloroquinacridone pigments


This invention relates to a process for producing an invisible and writable biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) raw processing film of thickness between 20 to 60 .mu.m. More particularly, this invention relates to a process for producing a three-layers biaxially oriented PP synthetic raw processing film by means of three-layers co-extrusion, wherein two different PP resin compositions are separately extruded by one primary and two secondary extruders first, and then are co-flowed by a same T-die through cooling molding to form a three layers coating sheet, and through biaxial orientation, corona treatment and winding to form three layers co-extrusion synthetic film of thickness 20-60 .mu.m. The three layers structure of said three layers co-extrusion synthetic film can be made in the form of invisible and writable layer/intermediate resin layer/backing adhesive resin layer, which can be used in industrial application and stationery application after winding finishing.

Nowadays, biaxially oriented polypropylene (hereinafter as BOPP ) transparent films used as substrate were treated by coating onto its surface to cause the transparent substrate matte, which can be finished by backing adhesive finish to obtain invisible and writable tape. This is the only producing method for the existing invisible and writable tape which is different from the conventional producing method of 3M (Minnesota Mining Manufacturing Company); As a whole, the cost of said conventional producing method is too high, due to an additional coating process and cost of raw material in coating agent and equipment needed, and some loss will occur during the coating process. So the application is limited and cannot be widely used in various usage. Hence the invisible and writable tape made from the raw film by this conventional method will cause abnormality due to the adhesive layer migrating into invisible and writable layer or cause to be unable for adhesion and writing because the invisible and writable layer and adhesive layer may delaminate after a certain period.

Process for producing an invisible and writable biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) raw processing film and the product thereof


A D/A converter including a plurality of potential generating sections. They each receive a 1-bit signal from one of an input terminal and delay circuit, and a clock signal or inverted clock signal from an input section or inverter for inverting the clock signal. When the clock signal or inverted clock signal is at a first signal level, they generate a first reference potential or second reference potential in response to the signal level of the 1-bit signal. When the clock signal or inverted clock signal is at the second level, they generate an intermediate potential between the first and second reference potentials. The potentials generated by the plurality of potential generating sections are combined by a combining section. The D/A converter can improve resistance to jitter, and to simplify the configuration of a post-stage filter circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a D/A converter mounted on audio equipment for converting an audio signal (1-bit digital signal) to an analog signal.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a part of audio equipment to which a conventional D/A converter is applied. In FIG. 24, the reference numeral 1 designates a delta-sigma modulator (called xe2x80x9cxcex94xcexa3-modulatorxe2x80x9d from now on) for carrying out parallel-to-serial conversion of a 16-bit parallel audio signal, for example, in synchronization with a clock signal CLK, and for outputting a 1-bit serial audio signal (called xe2x80x9cl-bit signalxe2x80x9d from now on); 2 designates a 1-bit D/A converter for converting the 1-bit signal output from the xcex94xcexa3-modulator 1 to an analog signal in synchronization with a clock signal clk with a frequency lower than that of the clock signal CLK supplied to the xcex94xcexa3-modulator 1; and 3 designates a filter circuit for eliminating noise components contained in the output signal of the 1-bit D/A converter 2, thereby outputting a signal component.
Next, the operation of the conventional equipment will be described.
Receiving the 16-bit parallel audio signal, the xcex94xcexa3-modulator 1 carries out the parallel-to-serial conversion of the audio signal in synchronization with clock signal CLK, and outputs a 1-bit signal, that is, a 1-bit serial audio signal.
FIG. 25A illustrates frequency characteristics of the 1-bit signal, in which fs designates the frequency of the clock signal CLK. The 1-bit signal includes large noise components besides the signal component.
Receiving the 1-bit signal from the xcex94xcexa3-modulator 1, the 1-bit D/A converter 2 carries out the digital-to-analog conversion of the 1-bit signal.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 26(a), when the 1-bit signal output from the xcex94xcexa3-modulator 1 is at a high level, the 1-bit D/A converter 2 generates a first reference potential, whereas when the 1-bit signal is at a low level, it generates a second reference potential lower than the first reference potential.
In this case, the ideal waveform of the output signal of the 1-bit D/A converter 2 is as shown in FIG. 26(a). In practice, however, there arise overshoots and undershoots as shown in FIG. 26(b) at transitions of the voltage waveform. Accordingly, area components (energy S) per cycle of the output signal fluctuate, which presents a problem of being unable to maintain the linearity of the output signal corresponding to the 1-bit signal.
In view of this, the conventional 1-bit D/A converter 2 employs an RTZ (Return-To-Zero) scheme that forcedly drops the latter half of the one cycle to the second reference potential as shown in FIG. 26(c).
The RTZ scheme, however, sometimes presents a problem in that since it increases the number of transitions (edges) of the output signal, the area components of the output signal can fluctuate because of jitter at the edges as illustrated in FIG. 27, thereby bringing about noise.
FIG. 25B shows the frequency characteristics of the output signal of the 1-bit D/A converter 2. It shows that although the noise components near the is reduce as compared with the frequency characteristics of the 1-bit signal, large noise components still remain.
The filter circuit 3 removes the noise components from the output signal to separate only the signal component from the output signal of the 1-bit D/A converter 2.
With the foregoing configuration, the conventional D/A converter has a problem of degrading the SNR because the jitter due to an increase in the number of the transitions of the output signal causes additional noise. Furthermore, although it can reduce the noise component near the is, the remaining noise components present a problem of complicating the circuit configuration of the filter circuit 3.
The present invention is implemented to solve the foregoing problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a D/A converter capable of improving the jitter tolerance and simplifying the circuit configuration of the filter circuit.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a D/A converter including a plurality of potential generating means each for receiving a 1-bit signal from one of an input terminal and delay circuit, and a clock signal or inverted clock signal from input means or inverter for inverting the clock signal. When the clock signal or inverted clock signal is at a first signal level, they generate one of a first reference potential and a second reference potential in response to the signal level of-the 1-bit signal. When the clock signal or inverted clock signal is at a second level, they generate an intermediate potential between the first and second reference potentials. The potentials generated by the plurality of potential generating means are combined by combining means. The D/A converter can not only improve resistance to jitter, but also to simplify the configuration of a post-stage filter circuit.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a D/A converter including a plurality of potential generating means each for receiving a level signal output from one of signal converting means and delay circuits, and for outputting a potential corresponding to the level signal. The potentials generated by the plurality of potential generating means are combined by combining means. The D/A converter can improve resistance to jitter, and to simplify the configuration of a post-stage filter circuit.

D/A converter with high jitter resistance


Procedure to obtain the hydrate of calcipotriol. A procedure is described, used to obtain the hydrate of calcipotriol, which consists of the reaction of anhydrous calcipotriol in water, in the absence of organic solvents.

Calcipotriol hydrate was described in Acta Crystallographica. Section C, Crystal Structure Communication, Col. C49, No. 3, 1993: 618-612, and in WO 94/15912 (ES 2111287) presents a procedure for obtaining the product from organic solvents and water. This method entails several difficulties:                the organic solvents used must be removed afterwards, a disadvantage from an environmental point of view and contrary to "clean chemistry" practices;        usable product yield is lost in the transformation, because part of it is left behind in the solvents or slurry;        as with the majority of crystallized products in the presence of organic solvents, the end product usually contains residual organic solvents, a very important aspect, which is regulated in relation to the active pharmaceutical components.

Method for obtaining calcipotriol hydrate


Method and system for generating synthetic panchromatic imagery. A method for making a multi-spectral image includes capturing a panchromatic image of an imaging target. Additionally, the method includes capturing at least a first spectral image of the imaging target in a first spectral bandwidth, and capturing at least a second spectral image of the imaging target in a second spectral bandwidth. Also, the method includes determining at least a first spectral weight and a second spectral weight for the first spectral image and the second spectral image respectively. Additionally, the method includes generating a synthetic panchromatic image, determining a registration offset between the synthetic panchromatic image and the captured panchromatic image, warping the first spectral image and the second spectral image, and generating a multi-spectral image.

The present invention relates generally to imaging techniques. More particularly, the invention provides a method and system for generating synthetic panchromatic images. Merely by way of example, the invention has been applied to generating high resolution pan-sharpened multi-spectral images. The method and system for generating high resolution images can be used to generate satellite imagery products. Additionally, it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability.
Optical systems have been widely used for detecting color images of various targets. Such optical systems often employ a panchromatic detector and a multi-spectral detector. The panchromatic detector generates panchromatic gray-scale images, while the multi-spectral detector detects spectral images in various bands of wavelengths, such as red, green, blue and near infrared ("NIR") bands. The panchromatic detector typically possesses a spatial resolution higher than that of the multi-spectral detector. Using the multi-spectral detector with relatively low resolution reduces costs of optical systems and associated transmission bandwidth requirements. Further, the high resolution panchromatic images and the low spatial resolution multi-spectral images can be mathematically combined to form high resolution multi-spectral images in a process called pan-sharpening. A system acquiring and synthesizing the multi-spectral images and the panchromatic images is described below.
FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram for a conventional optical system with panchromatic detector and multi-spectral detector. Optical system 110 is an imaging system positioned in a spacecraft that generates images of targets on the earth surface. Optical system 110 includes at least multi-spectral image detector 120 and panchromatic image detector 130. Multi-spectral detector 120 generates multiple images in different bands of wavelengths. As discussed above, the bands of wavelength may include red, green, blue and NIR bands. Within optical system 110, multi-spectral detector 120 and panchromatic detector 130 are placed in different locations. For each imaging object, optical system 110 generates multiple images, such as panchromatic, red, green, blue and NIR images. The specific processes for image acquisition is described below.
FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified conventional process for optical system 110 to capture multiple images of an imaging target on the earth surface. Optical system 110 moves with respect to earth surface 210. For example, at time t1, panchromatic detector 130 of optical system 110 captures a panchromatic image of imaging area 220. Subsequently, at time t2, multi-spectral detector 120 of optical system 110 captures several spectral images of imaging area 220. In another example, at time t1, multi-spectral detector 120 of optical system 110 captures several spectral images of imaging area 220. Subsequently, at time t2, panchromatic detector 130 of optical system 110 captures a black-and-white image of imaging area 220. The interval between time t1 and time t2 is usually small. For example, the interval may be only 0.5 second. Nonetheless, during this short interval, imaging surface 220 may have changed. Additionally, imaging angle α1 at time t1 and imaging angle α2 at time t2 are usually different. The imaging angle is the angle between the imaging direction and the reference direction vertical to imaging area 220. Consequently, the panchromatic image may not match the multi-spectral images, and this mismatch creates difficulties in producing high resolution color images.
Hence it is desirable to improve technique for creating high resolution color images.

Synthetic panchromatic imagery method and system


A piston prover comprises a measurement cylinder; a hydraulic cylinder coupled with a downstream end of the measurement cylinder; a measuring piston that moves a predetermined distance through the measurement cylinder during a measurement due to a fluid flow to eject a reference volume of fluid; and a piston rod that is movably in the hydraulic cylinder, wherein the measuring piston and the piston rod are separately constructed. When returning the measuring piston to a predetermined upstream measurement standby position, the piston rod moves the measuring piston to set the measuring piston at the predetermined measurement standby position, and thereafter only the piston rod is moved from upstream to downstream and is accommodated in the hydraulic cylinder.

A proving device for proving a flowmeter is a device for subjecting a newly manufactured flowmeter or a flowmeter in use to a characteristic test periodically or at any timing in order to use the flowmeter at a reliable accuracy regardless of a change in the characteristics attributable to external factors such as temperature and pressure or to internal factors such as abrasion of moving parts. Broadly classified, the characteristic test is carried out by two methods, one using a calibrator that sets a flowmeter to be test in a fixed tester to perform the test and the other using a prover type flowmeter tester that sets the flowmeter in a fluid system to optionally perform the test.
Since the prover type flowmeter tester can perform the flowmeter characteristic test on line and perform any characteristic test as needed, it is often used in the test of an inferential flowmeter especially susceptible to piping, e.g. of a turbine meter. The prover is a device having a moving element such as a piston that moves through a pipe with a constant section in synchronism with fluid and using as a reference volume a fluid displaced by the movement of the moving element through a predetermined distance.
In the flowmeter characteristic test using the prover type flowmeter tester, the number of flow pulses sent per unit volume (flow rate coefficient), i.e., a so-called K factor is calculated from the reading of the flowmeter when a fluid of a reference volume specified by the prover passes therethrough, that is, by detecting the number of flow pulses sent from the flowmeter when a reference volume of fluid passes therethrough. If necessary, a continuous flow rate characteristic curve is obtained based on the flow rate coefficients in a plurality of flow rates to be measured.
To obtain the flow rate coefficient at a high resolution, the number of flow pulses sent per reference volume needs to be a predetermined number or more and, for example, a specification of 10,000 pulses or more is given to a large-sized stationary prover having a large reference volume. On the contrary, if the reference volume is reduced, more than a specified number of flow pulses cannot be issued, but the flow rate coefficient can be obtained from the relationship between the reference volume of a fluid displaced as a result of movement of the moving element such as the piston and the issued pulses (time) issued from the flowmeter during the movement. Accordingly, regardless of the reduced number of flow pulses, a small-sized prover (small volume prover) is available.
In the small volume prover (hereinafter, referred to as SVP), a piston prover is known that uses the piston as the moving element. The piston prover has a measurement cylinder with a constant section that is basically connected in series with a flowmeter to be tested and compares the volume of a fluid displaced when the piston moving in the measurement cylinder moves through certain distance with a reading of the flowmeter at that time. The volume of a fluid is actually obtained from the amount of movement of the piston. In the proving, ordinarily, plural times of test results are averaged to figure out the flow rate coefficient (K factor) based on the average value. Consequently, the piston reciprocates by the number of times of the test in the measurement cylinder for each of the flow rates to be measured.
To return the piston to its original position after the completion of the measurement by the movement of the piston through a specified distance in the measurement cylinder, the piston is driven against the flow of fluid by an actuator using hydraulic pressure or pneumatic pressure via a piston rod. A flow passage allowing a fluid to pass therethrough during the drive is provided by two manners, one using the measurement cylinder itself and the other using a bypass flow passage separately disposed in parallel with the measurement cylinder. In case of causing a fluid to pass through the measurement cylinder, a valve function is provided in the interior of the piston returned by the actuator such that the valve is closed at the time of the measurement and that it is opened in the return stroke. This method is called an internal valve method. In case of causing a fluid to pass through the bypass flow passage, a bypass valve is disposed in the bypass flow passage such that the valve is closed at the time of the measurement and that it is opened in the return stroke. This method is called an external valve method.
Known as such an SVP is one described in Patent Document 1 for example. To form the reference volume, the SVP is configured such that a detector switch detects a position of a marker attached to the piston rod secured to the measuring piston. Accordingly, invar (alloy having a low coefficient of thermal expansion) of the piston rod is grooved or processing such as ceramic coating is added to the entire invar. When returning the measuring piston to a predetermined upstream position, a hydraulic pressure is applied to an end face of the piston rod secured to the measuring piston to move the measuring piston toward upstream. A separately designed slide valve (piston valve) is used for the flow passage switching.


This invention provides anti-acne kits that are useful for treating acne, especially severe cases of acne. The anti-acne kits include a vasoconstrictor and an anti-acne agent, and optionally one or more of a a skin lightening therapeutic, a sealing layer, a skin cleanser, an astringent, a skin penetration enhancer, a sunscreen, and nutritional supplements that promote healing of acne lesions. This invention also provides methods for treating acne using a vasoconstrictor in conjunction with an anti-acne agent.

Acne is a disease of the sebaceous hair follicles, often called pores. At the base of each hair follicle is a gland called the sebaceous gland, which produces sebum. Sebum is an oily substance that keeps the skin moist and pliable, which under normal circumstances travels along the hair follicle to the surface of the skin. A blemish begins approximately 2-3 weeks before it appears on the skin's surface. As the skin renews itself, the old cells die and slough off. When cells are shed unevenly and clump together with the sebum it forms a plug. Sebum which normally drains to the surface gets blocked and bacteria begin to grow. The rapid growth of the bacteria in combination with the accumulated sebum cause the follicle to enlarge and result in a mild form of acne called comedones, which are non-inflammatory. Both whiteheads and blackheads start out as a "microcomedone" and then become skin blemishes called comedones, either a whitehead or a blackhead. Acne is trapped sebum and bacteria (propionibacterium acnes) growing in a plugged follicle. Sebaceous glands are most numerous on the face, chest, back, neck and scalp; consequently, these are the most common sites of acne. The most common factors that cause acne are hormones, increased sebum production, bacteria (Propionibacterium Acnes), and changes inside of the hair follicle. Acne may progress to an inflammatory type of acne lesions that are red in color called papules, pustules and nodules.
There are many types of acne, ranging in severity from mild to severely disfiguring. Acne vulgaris is the most common form of acne which includes several types of pimples. These acne lesions include blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, nodules and cysts.
Mild to moderate acne vulgaris is characterized by whiteheads, blackheads, papules, and pustules. A whitehead is formed when a pore is completely blocked, trapping sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells below the skin surface causing a white appearance on the surface. Whiteheads are normally quicker in life cycle than blackheads. A blackhead is formed when a pore is only partially blocked, allowing some of the trapped sebum, bacteria, and dead skin cells to drain to the surface slowly. The black color is due to a reaction of the skin's own pigment, melanin, reacting with the oxygen in the air. A blackhead tends to be a stable structure. Blackheads can often take a long time to clear because the contents very slowly drain to the surface. Papules are small, red, tender bumps with no head. Papules are the earliest stage in the development of what are normally considered the typical "pimple". Papules are an intermediate in the progression of acne between the non-inflammatory and inflammatory stages. Pustules are similar to whiteheads, but are inflamed, and appear as a red circle with a white or yellow center.
Severe acne vulgaris is characterized by nodules and cysts. Nodular acne consists of acne spots which are much larger, can be quite painful, and can sometimes last for months. Nodules are large, hard bumps under the skin's surface. Scarring is common with nodules. An acne cyst can appear similar to a nodule, but is pus-filled, and can been described as having a diameter of 5 mm or more across. They can be painful and scarring is common with cystic acne.
Acne rosacea can look similar to the aforementioned acne vulgaris, and the two types of acne are sometimes confused for one another. Rosacea affects millions of people, most of whom are over the age of 30. It appears as a red rash which is normally confined to the cheeks, nose, forehead and chin. The redness is often accompanied by bumps, pimples, and skin blemishes. Blood vessels may also become more visible on the skin. Blackheads are not a part of rosacea. It is more prevalent in women, but often more severe when found in men. Left untreated, it can cause swelling of the nose and the growth of excess tissue, a condition called rhinophyma.
Acne conglobata is the most severe form of acne vulgaris and is more common in males. It is characterized by numerous large lesions, which are sometimes interconnected, along with widespread blackheads. It can cause severe, irrevocable damage to the skin, and disfiguring scarring. It is found on the face, chest, back, buttocks, upper arms, and thighs. The age of onset for acne conglobata is usually between 18 and 30 years, and the condition can stay active for many years.
Acne fulminans is an abrupt onset of acne conglobata which normally afflicts young men. Symptoms of severe nodulocystic, often ulcerating acne are apparent. As with acne conglobata, extreme, disfiguring scarring is common. Acne fulminans is unique in that it also includes a fever and aching of the joints.
Gram-negative folliculitis is a bacterial infection characterized by pustules and cysts, possibly occurring as a complication resulting from a long term antibiotic treatment of acne vulgaris. It is a rare condition, and prevalence in males versus females is unknown.
Pyoderma Faciale is severe facial acne affects only females, usually between the ages of 20 to 40 years old, and is characterized by painful large nodules, pustules and sores which may leave scarring. It begins abruptly, and may occur on the skin of a woman who has never had acne before. It is confined to the face, and usually does not last longer than one year, but can wreak havoc in a very short time.
Teenage (adolescent) acne: Most cases of acne that require treatment occur in individuals 9 to 19 years of age. Boys and girls are equally affected but the condition is usually more severe in boys. No ethnic groups are predisposed to acne, but certain cosmetic practices, such as the use of oily grooming agents, can lead to a specific pattern of lesions. Internal factors that may cause adolescents acne include endogenous hormones (androgens, progesterone) and specific drugs (oral contraceptives, isoniazid, phenytoin, corticosteroids, lithium-containing compounds). External factors include skin bacteria, especially Propionibacterium acnes; industrial chemicals (petroleum, animal and vegetable oils); oil- or wax-containing cosmetics; greasy sunscreen or suntan preparations; and local pressure from objects such as headbands, shoulder pads, or helmets. Excessive perspiration and emotional stress can also aggravate acne. Androgens (e.g., testosterone) will increase the size of sebaceous glands and, in people prone to acne, increase the production of sebum. In women, fluctuations in estrogen during the menstrual cycle change the sensitivity of sebaceous glands to androgens. During puberty, the skin cells lining the follicle shed more quickly, mix with the increased levels of sebum and increase the likelihood of the pores becoming clogged.
Adult acne: Twenty percent (20%) of the adult population is afflicted by adult acne, most of them women. Modern-day job related stress, pollution, poor nutrition and bad cosmetics are among the major contributing factors. A common case of adult acne consists of blackheads and whiteheads, while others developed inflamed acne papules or pustules.
Approximately 85% of people worldwide suffer from acne at some point in their lives, leading to more than 103 million affected by acne at any given moment. Approximately 17 million people in the U.S. have acne resulting in approximately 5.5 million visits to the physicians each year.
Acne vulgaris occurs in up to 95% of the population in westernized societies; acne vulgaris is a nearly universal skin disease afflicting 79% to 95% of the adolescent population. In men and women older than 25 years, 40% to 54% have some degree of facial acne, and clinical facial acne persists into middle age in 12% of women and 3% of men. (Cordain L, Lindeberg S, Hurtado M, Hill K, Eaton S B, Brand-Miller J. Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization. Arch Dermatol 2002 December; 138(12):1584-90).
Current medications include a variety of topical and systemic medications such as antibiotics, anti-infectives, anti-inflammatories, hormone therapies, keratolytics, and retinoids. The over the counter medication include benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, sulfur, and resorcinol.
Benzoyl peroxide medication is very effective for killing acne-causing bacteria. Benzoyl peroxide first saw use in the 1930's, and remains a mainstay of acne treatment because it has proven itself to work well. To this day, benzoyl peroxide actually kills propionibacterium acnes (P. Acnes) better than any other medication on the market, prescription or otherwise. Benzoyl peroxide is available in non-prescription concentrations of 2.5%, 5% and 10%.
Many anti-acne agents, including benzoyl peroxide, have a high flux into the skin. While this penetration is advantageous during the initial application, the rapid subsequent diffusion in the skin means that the anti-acne agent will diffuse away from the acne lesion to be treated (a phenomenon known as "outflow"). In turn, this means that the efficacy of the anti-acne agent is lessened, because of the relatively short dwell time of the anti-acne agent in the area of the acne lesion. Thus, it would be advantageous to have a method and a kit that would decrease the outflow of the anti-acne agent from the area of the acne lesion.

Compositions and methods for treating acne


Disclosed is an electronic component case which includes a case body in which a rotationally engaging boss and a rotation prevention protrusion are disposed; and a bracket having a bracket body and an engaging portion formed at an end portion of the bracket body, wherein the engaging portion includes a rotationally engaging hole aligned with the rotationally engaging boss and a rotation prevention portion formed to be spaced apart from the rotationally engaging hole to form a contacting surface that is caught by the rotation prevention protrusion, and provides an advantageous effect of preventing the bracket from rotating in a process of tightening a screw to the bracket.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component case, and more particularly, to an electronic component case to which an electronic component is fixed using a bracket.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An electronic component case is an apparatus which separates outside space and a component accommodation space to protect an electronic component accommodated therein. An electronic component may be coupled to an inside of an electronic component case using a bracket.
Generally, a bracket in an electronic component case is provided with a configuration that is in contact with an electronic component or accommodates the electronic component, and an engaging configuration for engaging the electronic component with the electronic component case. An engaging boss having an engaging hole may be formed at the electronic component case and an engaging hole corresponding to the engaging boss may be formed as an engaging configuration of the bracket.
A screw, which is a widely used engaging member, couples the electronic component case and the bracket by passing through the engaging hole and rotationally engaging with the engaging boss to couple the bracket to the electronic component case.
Generally, to fix an electronic component to an electronic component case, first, an engaging process is performed at an engaging hole of any one end portion of opposite end portions of a bracket. However, when a screw is engaged with any one end portion of the opposite end portions of the bracket, there is a large risk of the bracket moving during the engaging process. This is because the bracket is easily rotated when the screw is rotated at one end portion of the bracket since the other end portion of the bracket is not in a fixed state.
When the bracket rotatably moves during an assembling process, a problem arises in that the bracket comes into contact with other components adjacent to the bracket. When the bracket comes into contact with the other components, there is a high possibility of damaging the components that are in contact with the bracket. When it is considered that electronic components are densely populated inside an electronic component case, a rotation of the bracket may cause a negative influence on a performance of a product.


Disclosed a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, which exhibits a color filter contrast of 9000 or more and includes a transparent substrate, and a plurality of color layers exhibiting different color from each other and formed on the transparent substrate, wherein each of the color layers is a cured film of a color resin composition containing a polymer composition obtained through a copolymerization of styrene and an unsaturated carboxylic acid-containing monomer, a content of the styrene in the polymer composition being confined to a range of not less than 75 mol. % and less than 95 mol. %, and a retardation in a thickness direction “Rth” of each of these color layers is confined within a range of 0 nm to −10 nm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, and to a liquid crystal display device which is provided with the color filter. In particular, this invention relates to a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, which is excellent not only in contrast but also in oblique visibility and to a liquid crystal display device which is provided with such features.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, thin display devices such as a liquid crystal display device are increasingly demanded to enhance the picture quality and power-saving thereof and to reduce the manufacturing cost thereof. Therefore, in the case of the color filter to be employed in such display devices, it is desired to employ a photosensitive resin composition which is sufficiently high in color purity, in brightness and in contrast and which makes it possible to realize accurate patterning works of color layers having fine patterns, of a spacing layer, of a space controlling layer for controlling cell gap, and of a retardation layer at a low cost while developing the birefringence in conformity with various kinds of liquid crystal display modes.
Especially, in the case of a large television or a high picture quality monitor, where the display contrast thereof is not less than 2000, they are now demanded to exhibit not only a high front face contrast but also a very high level of display quality with respect to wide viewing angle characteristics including oblique viewing direction. It has been found out, as a result of optical designing of a liquid crystal display device as a whole, that it is difficult to completely correct the retardation of color filter, thereby inevitably leaving a small degree of retardation (for example, +10 nm or so) as a value of retardation in the thickness direction of at least one of the layers including the color layers, a spacing layer, a space controlling layer for controlling cell gaps and a retardation layer, thus resulting in the deterioration of oblique visibility.
In order to cope with this problem, various methods have been tried to reduce the quantity of retardation that the color filter may exhibit, the methods including one wherein a macromolecule having a planar structural group on its side chain is introduced into a color layer, or one wherein a birefringence-reducing particles having a double refraction index which is opposite in sign to that of a macromolecule is introduced into a color layer (see for example, JP-A 2000-136253 and JP-A 2000-187114).
Further, there has been proposed an idea to incorporate a retardation-adjusting agent in the color layers of color filter, thus enabling each of subpixels to have a different retardation, thereby making it possible to enable the viewing angle compensation of darkened state of a liquid crystal display device to be effected in the wavelength of almost all visible light zone without necessitating the provision of a polymeric liquid crystal layer in addition to the color layers or without necessitating the change of thickness in each of subpixels (see for example, JP-A 2008-20905, JP-A 2008-40486) and JP-A 2008-145868).
Furthermore, there has been proposed a method of improving the oblique visibility, wherein the values of retardation in thickness direction of the red, green and blue color pixels of color filter (these color pixels are herein defined as Rth(R), Rth(G) and Rth(B), respectively) are regulated, in conformity with the wavelength dispersibility of liquid crystal materials or of retardation films, to Rth(R)>Rth(G)>Rth(B) or Rth(R)<Rth(G)<Rth(B), thereby improving the oblique visibility (see for example, JP-A 2007-212603 and JP-A 5-196930).
However, it has been found out by the present inventors that the value of retardation in a thickness direction which the color layer may exhibit greatly differs depending on the kinds of pigment to be employed and that the magnitude of the value of retardation in a thickness direction becomes larger depending on the pulverization or dispersion of the pigment or on the kinds of matrix resin (for example, acrylic resin, cardo resin, etc.). Therefore, in the case of the conventional methods where a macromolecule having a planar structural group on its side chain is introduced into a color layer, or where a birefringence-reducing particles is introduced into a color layer, even if these methods are effective in increasing the value of retardation in a thickness direction in the positive direction or in decreasing a large positive value of retardation in a thickness direction within a positive range, these methods are not sufficiently effect in shifting the value of retardation in a thickness direction from zero in the negative direction within a small range, thus failing to solve the aforementioned problems.
Further, it has been found difficult to uniformly confine all of the retardations of red, green and blue color pixels to be employed in a color filter to a region ranging from zero to a small negative value while retaining a high contrast of color filter.
Since a styrene-containing polymer composition is excellent in transparency and in heat resistance, it is possible to use it as a color layer of color filter to be employed, for example, in a liquid crystal display, an electronic paper display, an electroluminescence panel, etc., or use it as material for forming a spacing layer. Further, the styrene-containing polymer composition can be modified to exhibit developing properties or photo-curing properties by copolymerizing it with an alkali-soluble monomer such as aromatic/non-aromatic polyvalent carboxylic acid-containing monomers or with a polymeric bonding-containing monomer, thus providing it with excellent functions as a polymeric composition for use as an electronic material.
On the other hand, the aforementioned styrene-containing polymer composition is known to have a negative birefringence (see for example, Development of Negative Birefringence Polymeric Material for Novel Wide Viewing Angle Retardation Films. TOSOH Research & Technology Review Vol. 48 (2004)) and hence has been suitably employed as a material for a negative birefringence retardation film. Therefore, it is expected that the aforementioned problems can be overcome by the incorporation of the styrene-containing polymer composition as a birefringence-adjusting agent in a material to be used for forming at least one layer selected from the color layers, the spacing layer, the space controlling layer for controlling cell gap, and the retardation layer of color filter for liquid crystal display. However, since the retardation of the color filter is relatively small as compared with that of other components to be used in a liquid crystal display device, no one has tried to employ the styrene-containing polymer composition up to date. Namely, there have been reported almost no studies which are dealt with a method of reducing the value of retardation in a thickness direction by the incorporation of a styrene-containing polymer composition into an alkali-developing photosensitive resin composition, for example.
Additionally, there is a problem that when a large quantity of the conventional styrene-containing polymer composition is incorporated into an alkali-developing photosensitive resin composition, storage stability of the photosensitive resin composition is deteriorated. Furthermore, the incorporation of styrene-containing polymer composition may lead to various problems including the deterioration of the alkali-developing properties of the photosensitive resin composition, the prolongation of developing time due to difficulties of suitably adjusting the developing rate, and susceptibility to peeling of a coated film from a substrate due to too fast developing rate on the contrary. Therefore, there is a limit in mixing ratio of the styrene-containing polymer composition, thus making it impossible to enable the styrene-containing polymer composition to sufficiently exhibit the effects thereof as a birefringence-adjusting agent.

Color filter for liquid crystal display device and liquid crystal display device


Methods and apparatus to enable code-based bus performance analysis are disclosed. In one example, a method identifies a bus transaction request with a virtual machine monitor and stores a record associated with the bus transaction request in a virtual machine.

Bus performance analysis such as transaction turn-around times and performance tuning provide useful mechanisms for debugging device drivers that initiate transactions with hardware devices via a bus. Current bus performance analysis techniques require the use of a hardware bus analyzer inserted into the bus under analysis.
Hardware bus analyzers have many shortcomings, such as cost, compatibility, scalability, and capability. For example, the cost of a typical hardware bus analyzer may exceed many thousands of dollars. When analyzing a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an industry standard architecture (ISA) hardware bus analyzer is not compatible with the PCI bus and therefore a PCI hardware bus analyzer is required. The hardware bus analyzer solution has poor scalability because it requires a one-to-one relationship between the hardware to be analyzed (i.e., the bus) and the number of hardware bus analyzers required. For example, to test a software or firmware device driver that initiates more than one transaction with more than one bus requires more than one hardware bus analyzer. Additionally, the capability of hardware bus analyzers is also a drawback. For example, the trace capability of a typical hardware bus analyzer is limited in size and functionality by the hardware bus analyzer, which typically has only one megabyte of trace capability.


A beach towel made of ordinary, machine washable fabric, together with a plurality of pockets, which may be filled with sand or other material to weigh down the towel is provided. The towel may be attached to another wind resistant beach towel to provide for a blanket cover which will not be blown off by wind. In addition, the towel may be attached to another wind resistant beach towel to cover a greater area.

It has been recognized that standard bath towels and blankets are not well suited for use at the beach or other outdoor forums. Wind and other variable atmospheric conditions often cause such household items to move or blow away. Transporting the towels or blanket to the beach and, more importantly, from the beach after the towel has become damp requires use of a bag or tote which must be inconveniently stored while the user is attempting to relax at the beach. For these and other reasons, there have been several attempts to provide a beach towel which is optimized for outdoor use at a distant forum.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,737, to Rote, a Beach and Picnic blanket with detachable triangular pockets at each corner made of flexible material is disclosed. The pockets are constructed to contain material such as sand, a weighted bag, or stones.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,618, to Greer et al., a weighted towel using a hidden weighted cord sewn into the perimeter of the towel is disclosed. Greer et al. also disclosed a storage pouch attached to a top end of the towel for storing the towel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,906, to Roberts, a towel with closeable pockets at each corner for containing sand is disclosed. The pockets may be lined with a waterproof layer such as plastic to keep the sand dry even if water comes in contact with the blanket.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,229, to Eberhart, a beach towel with pockets at the corners and a weight in a sealed package for each pocket is disclosed. Each pocket serves as a receptacle for personal effects and valuables by including a closeable opening that simulates a permanent closure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,880, to Wike, a beach towel with pockets for holding articles is disclosed, the pockets have integral closures and may be lined with waterproof or water-repellant material.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,411, to Wong, a beach blanket with pockets is disclosed. The pockets are designed for holding sand without closures.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,807, to Battistella, a beach blanket with a detachable pillow and carrying case having pockets is disclosed. The towel is a highly absorbent fabric with an inflatable pillow attached to the towel by means of a hook and loop type fastener. The inflatable pillow may be manufactured of vinyl with welded seams which prevent air leakage after inflation. One edge of the pillow is provided with a series of a storage compartments for small items to be carried, the small storage compartments being fastened by means of a hook and loop type fastener. The beach towel with pillow may be rolled up and bound by the binding cords attached to one lateral edge of the beach towel.
Unfortunately, none of the foregoing attempts provide a towel or blanket specifically optimized for use at the beach, since each requires the user to purchase a separate carrying case to transport the towel. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a towel or blanket which is optimized for use at the beach.


Methods and apparatuses are provided for depositing a material on a surface. In accordance with the method a stream of a component material is formed having formed printing and non-printing droplets and satellite droplets of the material. The stream is directed at the surface. A deflecting energy is applied to separate printing droplets from non-printing droplets in the stream, so that only printing droplets travel to the surface. The deflecting energy is adapted to direct non-printing droplets for non-printing drop collection, and to direct at least a portion of the satellite droplets to be controlled in a manner adapted to prevent the material in the satellite droplets from reaching the surface, so that less than all of the material in the satellite droplets reaches the surface. Articles are also provided having limited satellite material.

It is recognized that high-speed manufacture helps to drive down the cost of a broad range of products ranging from consumable items and materials to electronic and optical components. Web-based fabrication, conventionally used for making photographic film and related sensitized materials, is particularly advantaged for high-speed manufacture of products formed on flexible substrates. Thus, methods that utilize web-based fabrication enable more economical manufacturing solutions for existing products and enable the development of new products on flexible substrates.
One area of particular interest for high-speed, web-based manufacture relates to the fabrication of electronic or optical devices on flexible substrates. Methods for device fabrication would form the component elements of such electronic or optical devices by depositing patterned layers of material, in liquid droplet form, onto a substrate. In web-based printing, a flexible medium, typically provided in roll or cut sheet form, is fed to the printing mechanism and is moved through the printing mechanism during application of inks or other materials. In concept, web-based fabrication would adapt this printing model for manufacturing electronic and other devices on a flexible support or substrate. In order to fabricate electronic or optical devices commercially onto a moving flexible substrate using liquid droplet deposition, the following requirements are of special importance:                (i) High resolution (dots per inch). The capability for fine detail needed to form layers within an electronic component places high demands on droplet resolution, that is, on spatially compact and accurate placement of droplets. Although high-resolution can be achieved by executing multiple passes of the receiving surface past a printing mechanism, it would be highly preferable to deposit all droplets of a single fluid from the same droplet forming or droplet ejection station in one pass to form a structure. This cannot be done with conventional drop on demand ink jet technology because such technology cannot apply liquids with laydown densities sufficient to form many desirable structural features in a single pass. Accordingly, multiple passes are required to form such structures using conventional droplet demand ink to technology. This creates the potential for registration errors which can affect the quality of the formed structure. Further, such an approach creates striations within the formed structure that can alter the performance capabilities of the structure. For example, in FIG. 1A, a cross-section view of a structure 3 is shown that is formed using such prior art technologies. As is shown in FIG. 1A, a first layer 4 of structure 3 is formed on a substrate 2 in a first printing pass. Similarly, second layer 5 is applied to first layer 4 in a second pass, while a third layer 6 is applied in a third pass. It will be appreciated that the nature of and quality of the material boundaries between first layer 4, second layer 5, and third layer 6 limits the functional capabilities of structure 3 so formed. For example these boundaries, referred to herein as striations can alter the conductance of structure 3, the mechanical strength of structure 3, the thermal management capability to the structure 3 or other desirable properties of structure 3. Accordingly, what is desired is a system that is capable of forming structures comprising a relatively large feature height but with a minimum number of striations. Undesirable artifacts may be visible in a top view as shown in FIG. 1C, which is a top view the structure illustrated in section in FIG. 1A. Such artifacts can be caused by deposition of discrete drops too widely separated in time which, in turn, causes registration problems.        (ii) Dependable delivery of fluid droplets at the needed volume and flow rate, without interruption. Related both to resolution and to yield percentages for a continuously moving substrate, this requirement concerns the overall speed, reliability, and robustness of the droplet-forming mechanism itself. Since web fabrication uses a continuously moving substrate, there is no opportunity to rescan an area of the substrate to ensure droplet delivery once the substrate has moved past the droplet-ejection station. In a single pass, it would be preferable to be able to form a feature on a surface where the height of the feature is relatively large. The relative height of a feature can be best expressed in terms of a height:width ratio for the feature, as formed by the droplet ejection mechanism in a single pass. A height:width ratio of at least 0.20 must be achievable with the substrate traveling at a rate of speed exceeding a few inches per second.        (iii) Highly accurate droplet positioning. Also related to resolution and yield, the positional accuracy of the droplet-ejection mechanism must allow droplet placement accuracy preferably within +/−2 microns. For a straight line feature extending in any direction along the flexible substrate, height of the feature should be controllable to within about 1% RMS. Width should be controllable to within about 1% RMS.        (iv) Precision control of droplet volume. Similarly related to resolution and yield, the stringent requirement for droplet volume control assures that precisely the correct amount of fluidic material is deposited at each location on the flexible substrate surface. For electronic component fabrication, droplet volumes would range from about 3 to about 40 picoliters, with volume controlled to within about +/−1% or better. The capability to change droplet volume and maintain this tight level of control would be particularly advantageous for component fabrication.        (v) Flexibility for droplet treatment, in flight and on impact. For some types of fluid materials, it may be advantageous to provide some type of conditioning treatment, such as to obtain proper adhesion, for example, or to prevent or facilitate rapid drying. This function can be most easily achieved where the distance allowable between the droplet ejection mechanism and the substrate surface is somewhat flexible. For a broad range of applications, it would be advantageous to allow a gap between the ejection point of a liquid droplet and the substrate surface.        (vi) Capability to handle a range of fluid viscosities. The many types of fluids that must be deposited for forming electronic components and other complex devices span a wide range of viscosities. High-viscosity fluids, in particular, such as those with a low shear in excess of 10 cP, can prove difficult to deposit accurately in droplet form. A number of fluid materials with advantageous properties for forming electronic devices have low shear viscosities in excess of 100 cP, well beyond the range of conventional droplet deposition devices. One problem inherent to droplet-based delivery of high viscosity fluids relates to undesirable satellite droplets that form as a result of droplet formation. Generally tinier than printing droplets, satellite droplets form due to the complex rheology of these substances.
FIG. 1B shows a top view of a substrate 2 having intentionally printed drops 7 of material adjacent to each other with undesirable satellite drops 8 and 9 in the vicinity of the intentionally printed drops 7. Such satellite drops can have a number of undesirable effects on the structure formed on substrate 2. For example, as is shown in FIG. 1B, satellite drop 8 is positioned proximate to one of the intentionally printed drops 7 so as to effectively alter the shape thereof. As is also shown in FIG. 1B, satellite drops 9 are positioned between intentionally printed drops 7 and can, in certain embodiments, provide an undesirable electrical short therebetween or create other unintentional effects.                (vii) Adaptability to a range of fluid characteristics. In addition to viscosity, there are a number of other fluid properties that present special challenges for deposition onto a flexible substrate in droplet form. Volatile and other heat-sensitive fluids must be carefully handled and may not be suitable for droplet ejection methods that employ high heat levels. Highly viscous polymers can be particularly sensitive to high heat levels. Fluids that exhibit electroluminescence must also be protected from high heat conditions. The droplet formation and ejection mechanisms would ideally be capable of depositing both conductive and non-conductive fluids. It would be advantageous to be able to form and eject fluid droplets containing colloids and particulates, including fluids containing suspended nanoparticles. In addition, it would be beneficial to be able to adapt the deposition mechanism to the rheology of the deposited fluid, rather than being constrained by inherent limitations of the fluid delivery technology.        (viii) Suitable surface preparation. The method adapted for fluid deposition must be compatible with various types of surface preparation techniques for improved droplet adhesion, spread, and related characteristics.
Conformance to the above-listed requirements is well beyond the capabilities of conventional methods for droplet deposition. The ability to meet or exceed these requirements would enable web-based fabrication with increasingly faster throughput, possibly allowing web media transport speeds in excess of 1000 feet per minute for some types of applications and components.
Conventional techniques for the fabrication of electronic and electro-optical devices typically involve a number of different processes for forming various layers that make up the device, including photolithography, oxidation, etching, and masking, for example. Techniques for depositing materials in a droplet or vaporized form to build surface features include vacuum or vapor deposition, sputtering, and droplet deposition using spray bar apparatus. Often, multiple processes are used in combination, requiring transfer of a substrate between various types of equipment and involving careful handling of the product in its intermediate fabrication stages. Because of this, the complex processing sequence that is currently required for fabrication of a display device or for a support electronic component such as a field effect transistor is time-consuming, trouble-prone, and costly. As the number of processing steps increases, the technical challenges for integration of components on a flexible substrate become even more demanding, throughput slows, the likelihood of contamination increases, and yields can be dramatically reduced.
Attempts to improve conventional fabrication techniques and achieve more satisfactory yields have included use of drop-on-demand ink jet print heads for deposition of at least some layers of electronic or optical components, as is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,831 to Speakman; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,194,837 and 6,545,424 to Ozawa; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,373,453 and 6,642,651 to Yudasaka; U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,968 to Yamazaki et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,087,196 to Sturm et al.
In operation, "drop-on-demand" ink jet printing provides fluid droplets for impact upon a recording surface using a localized pressurization actuator (thermal, piezoelectric, air pressure, etc.) at each nozzle. Selective activation of the actuator causes the formation and ejection of a droplet from a corresponding nozzle. The droplet crosses the space between the print head nozzle and the print substrate and strikes the print substrate. The formation of printed images, for example, is achieved by controlling the individual formation of ink droplets, as is required to create the desired image. With thermal actuators, a heater for each nozzle, located at a convenient location, heats the fluid within a chamber, causing a quantity of the fluid to change phase and to form a gaseous steam bubble. This momentarily increases the internal fluid pressure sufficiently for a fluid droplet to be expelled. The bubble then collapses as the heating element cools, and the resulting vacuum draws fluid into the chamber from a reservoir to replace fluid that was ejected from the nozzle. Alternately, piezoelectric actuators, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,843 to vanLintel, have a piezoelectric crystal in a fluid channel that flexes when an electric current flows through it, forcing a fluid droplet out of a nozzle.
In conventional thin-film fabrication methods, such as those used in commercially available drop-on-demand ink jet printers, a sheet of substrate is held stationary during materials deposition. One or more print heads or other printing mechanisms are then passed over the stationary substrate, one or more times, in order to deposit the various component layers with sufficient resolution to form the electronic device. Once deposition of these materials is complete, the sheet of substrate can be lifted from place and made available for any further processing.
However, while drop-on-demand ink jet print mechanisms have been adapted for depositing some types of materials onto a substrate, there are significant drawbacks and performance thresholds, inherent to drop-on-demand technology, that limit its usefulness for web-based fabrication of electronic and related components, in which the substrate is continuously moving. The resolution limitations of drop-on-demand printers are a function of the droplet formation and delivery, componentry design, with a separate heater or piezoelectric actuator required for each individual nozzle. Characteristically, drop-on-demand printers improve their inherently low resolution by making a series of repeated passes over the same area of a substrate. The use of repeated passes, however, would not be well-suited to a web manufacturing environment with a continuously moving substrate. In addition, layering of the same material onto itself in successive passes is not optimal for obtaining homogeneous density. For most deposited materials, striations develop at the interface between successively printed layers, which is undesirable in many applications, for example in the deposition of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) or Polymeric Light Emitting Diode (PLED) materials.
Droplet volume control is typically well above +/−5% at best, a limitation that is further compounded by tendency of nozzles to clog or to form and eject unwanted satellite droplets. There is no known method for compensating for the formation of satellite droplets that can deposit material improperly, compromising component operation or even causing component failure. Satellite droplets are commonly observed with drop-on-demand print devices, particularly where fluids deposited exceed viscosities of about 3 cP. The viscosity range of drop-on-demand printers is very limited; high viscosity fluids can exhibit low-shear viscosities well out of range of accurate droplet formation and delivery for these devices. Because many types of drop-on-demand print heads employ pulsed heat for forming and ejecting droplets, there are also limitations on the types of fluids that can be accurately delivered without being damaged or introducing safety problems. Requiring a close proximity between the nozzle and receiving substrate, the drop-on-demand print head is relatively inflexible for allowing supporting droplet conditioning mechanisms to be used. Drop-on-demand print mechanisms cannot be scaled, beyond a narrow range, to suit the rheology of the fluid to be deposited; instead, the fluid must be adapted to the fairly limited geometry of the drop-on-demand droplet forming mechanism.
To counter some of the inherent limitations of this technology, some types of drop-on-demand solutions use a wax carrier into which a colorant or dye is mixed. For this type of print technology, the wax carrier remains as part of the deposited material. While this may be acceptable for some types of color printing, it can be readily appreciated that the retention of a wax carrier would prevent component fabrication in most cases. Finally, while the quality of patterns formed using drop-on-demand ink jet techniques can be acceptable at lower throughput rates where the substrate can be held stationary, the demands of web fabrication at high rates of speed easily exceed the capabilities of drop-on-demand technology and restrict the types of components that can be fabricated or require combination with other types of deposition methods to supplement the droplet formation provided from the print head.
Recognizing the shortcomings of conventional inkjet printing for component fabrication, a number of hybrid methods have been proposed. These include methods disclosed in the Ozawa '837 and '424 patents cited above, in which, for a device comprising multiple layers of material, some of the component layers are deposited using drop-on-demand ink jet printing and other layers are deposited using vacuum deposition or other methods, including conventional use of masks and photochemical etching, as is described in International Application WO 97/18944 by Calvert et al.; European Patent EP 0 615 256 to Mutsaers et al.; European Patent Application EP 1 079 397 to Cloots et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,284 to Calvert et al. However, it can be appreciated that such hybrid methods are not particularly conducive to high-speed web-based fabrication and add cost and complexity to the fabrication process. As is true with conventional photo-etching schemes, the substrate itself must be maintained in place during the deposition process, effectively precluding any type of web-based fabrication. Given the constraints inherent to conventional drop-on-demand ink jet print apparatus, it would be difficult to further extend the use of drop-on-demand ink jet masking technology for forming conductive patterns of higher complexity and high resolution and to obtain the economies of high-speed production afforded by web-based fabrication.
Increasing demand for economical, high-speed methods of fabrication for electronic, electro-optical, or optical devices, particularly for Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) and Polymeric Light Emitting Diodes (PLED) sometimes known as solution processable organic light emitting diode display components, points to the need for improvements over the conventional fabrication methods that have been commercialized to date. Thus, it can be seen that there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for forming two- and three-dimensional structures on flexible substrates using web-based fabrication techniques, in which the substrate is continuously moving in a travel direction.

Methods and apparatuses for forming an article


Similar semiconductor chips (12-15), which are produced together on a plate and subsequently dissociated, are provided with identifying markings (17-20) containing their earlier position on the plate. If defects occur later in the dissociated chips, analyses can be made to determine whether defects occur with particular frequency in certain regions of the plate, or whether a statistical distribution exists.

As is well known, nowadays semiconductor components or chips are efficiently produced on discoid plates, called wafers, which are sliced off of bar-shaped silicon monocrystals. Various technologies, such as photolithography, epitaxy, diffusion, masking methods and the like are used to form a plurality of similar integrated circuits on such a plate. After being separated into single chip crystals, they can no longer be differentiated from one another. If clusters of defects in the circuits occur later, it can no longer be determined afterwards whether these are statistically distributed defects or if they are defects that have accumulated in certain regions of the plates. It would be quite advantageous if, in searching for the cause of the defects, one were still able to discover later on the original position of the particular chip on the plate.

Method of fabricating similar indexed dissociated chips


A system for regulating a thermal parameter associated with a heat exchange assembly of a turbomachine includes at least one device for measuring or estimating the thermal parameter, a controlled valve acting on the flow rate of a fluid in the assembly, and a regulator including a comparator determining the sign of an error signal relating to the difference between the thermal parameter and a setpoint. The regulator further includes a switch configured to deliver, based on the sign, to a valve control system, a maximum control current switching the valve in a closed state or a minimum control current switching the valve in an open state, and a phase-shifter configured to apply on the error signal a phase advance determined from an estimate of a time constant of the control system.

The invention relates to the general field of turbomachines for aeronautical gas turbine engines. It concerns more particularly the regulation of the supply temperature of an air bleed system for an aircraft.
An aircraft, such as an airplane, comprises a fuselage in which a cockpit and a passenger cabin are arranged, and at least one turbomachine. Such a turbomachine comprises an engine and a fan at which air bleeds can be performed. Such bleeds are carried out by a system called bleed system, comprising a plurality of valves and a heat exchanger. These valves allow air bleed from various air streams circulating in the engine, in particular a high-pressure high-temperature air stream, bled from a pressurized air stream from at least one compressor stage of the engine, and a cold fan air stream, bled downstream of the fan, for example in a secondary flowpath where a cold air stream circulates. The high-pressure air stream and the fan air stream can be delivered to the heat exchanger to allow lowering the temperature of the high-pressure air stream at the outlet of the exchanger so as to regulate the temperature of the air sent to the airplane system. Another part of the bled air can be used to supply the deicing systems of the airplane.
Such regulation is obtained by the monitoring of the opening of one or several of the air stream bleed valves. The temperature of the air stream can be regulated by the selection of one or several valve(s) to be monitored, for example, by the monitoring of the opening or closing of the valve for bleeding the fan air stream.
An air stream can also be bled for an LPTACC (Low pressure Turbine Active Clearance Control) system to regulate the clearance between, on the one hand, the tips of the movable blades of a turbine rotor and, on the other hand, a turbine ring of an outer casing surrounding the blades. The clearance existing between the tip of the blades of a turbine and the ring which surrounds them is dependent on the differences in dimensional variations between the rotating parts such as the disc and the blades forming the turbine rotor and the stationary parts such as the outer casing including the turbine ring it comprises. Some of the dimensional variations are related to the temperature variations of the blades, disc and casing, and others are related to the mechanical effect of the centrifugal force exerted on the turbine rotor. However, to increase the performance of a turbine, it is desirable to minimize the clearance as much as possible. During an increase in speed, for example during the transition from a ground idle speed to a take-off speed in a turbomachine for an aeronautical engine, the centrifugal force exerted on the turbine rotor tends to bring the blade tips of the turbine ring before the turbine ring have had time to expand under the effect of the increase in temperature related to the increase in speed which generates a risk of contact.
To regulate the clearance, it is known to use an active control system using the emission of an air stream, bled for example at a compressor and/or downstream of the fan of the turbomachine, on the outer surface of the turbine ring. Fresh air sent to the outer surface of the turbine ring has the effect of cooling the latter and thus of limiting its thermal expansion which makes it possible to minimize the clearance, and conversely, hot air promotes the thermal expansion of the turbine ring, which increases the clearance and makes it possible, for example, to avoid contact between the blade tips and the ring.
The regulation is carried out using a control unit that acts on a position-regulated valve to control the flow rate and/or the temperature of air directed on the turbine ring, based on a clearance setpoint and on an estimate of the actual blade tip clearance.
An air stream can also be bled for an inter-flowpath core compartment cooling system of a turbofan engine. The system comprises valves bleeding cooling air from the air stream at the outlet of the fan and a cooling manifold to ensure the cooling of the control members and accessories located in a core housing of the turbomachine, between the primary flowpath and secondary flowpath.
Generally, the cold air supplying the exchanger is bled from the secondary stream downstream of the fan, via a scoop-valve with a variable-inlet section designated by the abbreviation FAV for Fan Air Valve.
It is the control of the angular position of a shutter of this valve, formed for example by one or two pivoting flap(s), which allows adjusting the cold air flow rate bled by the FAV for the exchanger and therefore allows the regulation thermal of the air delivered to the airplane at the outlet of the exchanger, the temperature being generally designated by the expression "temperature bleed" for the regulation systems called bleed systems.
In the considered example, the FAV system consists of a system of two flaps mechanically connected to a pneumatic cylinder that allows opening or closing these flaps. The cylinder is supplied with air by a torque motor which pressurizes a supply chamber, the torque motor being supplied by a pressure called regulated "muscle" pressure.
The regulation carried out using this FAV valve however poses problems which arise from the valve itself, in particular in the case where such a FAV system does not have a flap position feedback that allows knowing the position of the flaps. On the other hand, the dispersion related to the manufacture and the one linked to the environmental conditions generate significant variability in the law connecting the control current sent to the torque motor and the position of the flaps.
The relationship between the flap control current and the position of the scoop-valve flaps therefore has significant variability which can be illustrated in FIG. 1 which presents a graph expressing the position of the flaps based on the control current.
On the graph in FIG. 1, for a current having a value, in milliamperes, corresponding to the abscissa B, the flaps can be closed or open according to the variation of the law as illustrated by the left characteristic of the valve and the right characteristic of the graph. In other words, the value of the control current to be sent for the flaps of the scoop-valve to be closed can vary, or shift, from the value corresponding to the abscissa B to the value corresponding to the abscissa of the point C.
Indeed, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the current for closing the valve (B mA) in the extreme left characteristic of the valve corresponds to a value for which the flaps are open in the extreme right characteristic.
The problem of monitoring the control current to be sent therefore comes directly from this feature. Indeed, any corrector having an integrator will be forced to undergo the dead current ranges.
For example, in the case of a controller undergoing a valve having a characteristic such as the one on the left in the graph of FIG. 1, starting from a control current corresponding to the maximum current, that is to say with a value corresponding to that of the abscissa C, thereby with a regulator in control saturation, the scoop-valve is closed according to the control law. If the opening of the scoop-valve is necessary to regulate the air temperature for the bleed system, the control device must reach a current having a value corresponding to the abscissa B to start seeing the valve move. The gains of the corrector cannot be adapted to the position of the valve, because this position is unknown, which leads to very slowly crossing the dead area of the scoop-valve. This implies a very slow response time of the regulation.
The regulators recommended in the state of the art for this type of monitoring are generally PID-type, that is to say Proportional Integral Derivative-type, correctors.
An air bleed management system for the bleed system with control of a FAV scoop-valve is known from the document FR 2978123. The system described in this document presents a particular management of the temperature information provided by probes but does not present any regulation.
A control device, or controller, with a linear-quadratic regulator for the control of a FAV comprising an actuator, is also known. The controller sends position control signals to the actuator, but does not take into account the variability of a signal control law based on the position of the FAV flaps.

Unit for controlling a controlled valve for abstracting an airflow from a pressurized airflow of an aircraft