An apparatus and method for a User Equipment in a wireless network including at least one Base Station (BS) are provided. The method includes receiving an Information Element (IE) for configuring at least one of a PUSCH power control method and a PUSCH DMRS generation method from the BS, determining a state of the IE, and transmitting a PUSCH and a DMRS for the PUSCH according to the state of the IE. A transmission power of the PUSCH is controlled and a base sequence for the PUSCH DMRS is generated according to the state of the IE. When the state of the IE indicates a first state, the transmission power of the PUSCH is determined according to a first power control equation. When the state of the IE indicates a second state, the transmission power of the PUSCH is determined according to a second power control equation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for uplink transmission in wireless communication systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing Coordinated Multi-Point (COMP) transmission and reception for uplink transmissions in a wireless communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile terminals provide wireless communication between users and while becoming increasingly popular, mobile terminals offer a growing number of data and telecommunication services to users. Accordingly, mobile terminals now provide many additional features beyond simple telephone conversation, such as an alarm function, a Short Messaging Service (SMS), a Multimedia Message Service (MMS), E-mail, games, remote control of short range communication, an image capturing function using a mounted digital camera, a multimedia function for providing and/or viewing audio and video content, a scheduling function, and many other similar functions. Thus, the increased use of mobile terminals and the greater number of bandwidth consuming functions provided by mobile terminals has resulted in greater demand for bandwidth in wireless communication systems.
Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) wireless communication systems have been identified and deployed in order to provide increased bandwidth in wireless communication systems. In LTE and LTE-A systems, there are two types of UpLink (UL) Reference Signals (RSs), namely Demodulation RSs (DMRSs) and Sounding RSs (SRSs). For a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission, DMRSs are transmitted via two Single Carrier-Frequency Division Modulation (SC-FDM) symbols, wherein one SC-FDM symbol is disposed in each of the two time slots of a subframe. SRSs are transmitted via one SC-FDM symbol that is disposed in the second time slot in a subframe. A method of generating a UL RS sequence, which may be a cell-specific UL RS base sequence, for a mobile terminal (or User Equipment (UE)) compatible with the LTE Release-10 (Rel-10) specification is described below.
To generate a UL RS sequence, a UE may first generate a base UL RS sequence, which is a Constant Amplitude Zero Auto-Correlation (CAZAC) sequence. The UE then applies Cyclic Shifts (CSs) to the base UL RS sequence, where the CSs are a value from 0 to 11. For the LTE specification up to the Rel-10 specification, the base UL RS sequence is a cell-specific RS sequence that is a function of a physical cell-id. In general, the CS and the base UL RS sequence are assigned to UEs so as to maintain small inter-user interference, or to make UL RS sequences of the UEs orthogonal or quasi-orthogonal to each other. Multiple UL RS sequences are orthogonal to each other when they are generated from the same base UL RS sequence and respectively have different CSs. Multiple UL RS sequences are quasi-orthogonal, i.e., the UL RSs have a relatively small cross-correlation, when they are generated from different UL RS sequences, regardless of whether their respective CSs are different.
In a case where multiple UEs in a same cell are multiplexed within a same UL bandwidth, which may result in intra-cell interference, an inter-user interference power level may be relatively high. Accordingly, in order to mitigate the inter-user interference in such a case, a base station may orthogonalize the UL RS sequences. Or in other words, the base station may assign different CSs to respective UEs within the same UL bandwidth. In a case where multiple subscriber stations in different cells are multiplexed within a same UL BW, which may result in inter-cell interference, the inter-user interference power level may be relatively low. However in order to make sure that the interference does not coherently add up with the desired signal, different base sequences may be assigned to respective UEs.
The LTE specification includes 30 base UL RS sequence groups, wherein each group is indexed by u=0, 1 . . . 28, 29. Within a group, in a case where the RS sequence length is greater than or equal to 6 Resource Blocks (RBs) or greater than or equal to 84 subcarriers, then there are two base RS sequences indexed by v=0, 1 for the group. In a case where the RS sequence length is less than 6 RBs, then there is only one base sequence for the group. As noted above, a base UL RS sequence is a CAZAC sequence. However, it is generated differently depending on the length of the base UL RS sequence.
For example, for base sequences for 1 or 2 RBs, or 12 or 24 subcarriers, base RS sequences are computer generated CAZAC sequences. For base sequences for more than 2 RBs, or more than 24 subcarriers, base RS sequences are Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequences. A ZC sequence generation is described in Equation 1, below, wherein a number of subcarriers in a Physical RB (PRB) is NscRB=12, and the length of a base sequence is denoted by MscRS. For base sequences having a length greater than or equal to 3NscRB, such that MscRS≧3/NscRB, the base sequence ru,v(0), . . . , ru,v(MscRS−1) is given by: ru,v(n)=xq(n mod NZCRS),0≦n<MscRS,  [Equation 1]wherein the qth root Zadoff-Chu sequence is defined by:
                    x        q                          (        m        )              =          ⅇ                        -          j                                              π                                                                                qm                                            (                                  m                  +                  1                                )                                                          N            ZC            RS                                ,      0    ≤    m    ≤                  N        ZC        RS            -      1        ,wherein q is given by:q=└ q+½┘+v·(−1)└2 q┘, q=NSCRS·(u+1)/31and the length NZCRS of the Zadoff-Chu sequence is given by the largest prime number such that NZCRS<MscRS.
In order to further reduce the inter-cell interference, LTE systems may use Sequence Hopping and Group Hopping, wherein a base sequence group index u of a UL RS may change with respect to time slots. For Group Hopping, a sequence-group number u in slot ns is calculated according to Equation 2, below.u=(fgh(ns)+fss)mod 30,  [Equation 2]wherein, fgh(ns) is a group hopping pattern, and fss is a sequence hopping pattern. In LTE systems, there are 17 different group hopping patterns and 30 different sequence-shift patterns that may be used in Equation 2. Sequence-group hopping may be enabled or disabled, and a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and a PUSCH may have the same group hopping pattern but may have different sequence hopping patterns. A group hopping pattern, fgh(ns), is given by Equation 3, below.
                                          f            gh                                          (                          n              s                        )                          =                  {                                                    0                                                              if                                                                                group                                                                                hopping                                                                                is                                                                                disabled                                                                                (                                                                  ∑                                                  i                          =                          0                                                7                                                                                c                                                                                (                                                                                8                                                                                n                                  s                                                                                +                              i                                                        )                                                                          ·                                                  2                          i                                                                                )                                                      mod                                                                                30                                                                                if                                                                                group                                                                                hopping                                                                                is                                                                                enabled                                    ,                                                                                [                  Equation                                                              3                ]            wherein c(i) is a pseudo-random sequence, and the corresponding pseudo-random sequence generator may be initialized with
      c    init    =      ⌊                  N        ID        cell            30        ⌋  at a beginning of each radio frame. For the PUCCH, the sequence-shift pattern fssPUCCH is given by Equation 4, below.fssPUCCH=NIDcell mod 30  [Equation 4]For the PUSCH, the sequence-shift pattern fssPUCCH is given by Equation 5, below.fssPUCCH=(fssPUCCH+Δss)mod 30,  [Equation 5]wherein Δssε{0, 1, . . . , 29}.
Sequence hopping may be applied to reference-signals having a length of MscRS≧6NscRB. For reference-signals having a length of MscRS<6NscRB, the base sequence number v within the base sequence group is given by v=0. For reference-signals of length MscRS≧6NscRB, the base sequence number v within the base sequence group in slot ns is given by Equation 6, below.
                    v        =                  {                                                                      c                                                        (                                          n                      s                                        )                                                                                if                                                                                group                                                                                hopping                                                                                is                                                                                disabled                                                                                and                                                                                sequence                                                                                hopping                                                                                is                                                                                enabled                                                                                0                                                              otherwise                  ,                                                                                [                  Equation                                                              6                ]            wherein, c(i) is a pseudo-random sequence, and the corresponding pseudo-random sequence generator shall be initialized with
      c    init    =                    ⌊                              N            ID            cell                    30                ⌋            ·              2        5              +          f      ss      PUSCH      at the beginning of each radio frame. Sequence hopping may be enabled according to a designer's or user's choice, and sequence hopping for the PUSCH may be disabled for any certain UE despite being enabled for a cell.
It is noted that Δssε{0, 1, . . . , 29} is a cell-specific parameter that is configured by a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and is used for orthogonalizing PUSCHs from different cells. In a case where there are two cells with two different cell IDs, NID,1cell and NID,2cell. Then the two respective PUCCH shift patterns are fss,1PUCCH=NID,1cell mod 30 and fss,2PUCCH=NID,2cell mod 30, and in most cases they are different such that fss,1PUCCH≠fss,2PUCCH. Accordingly, the two PUCCH signals are quasi-orthogonal. However, in a case where Δss,1 and Δss,2 are set in a manner such that fss,1PUSCH=(fss,1PUCCH+Δss,1)mod 30=(fss,2PUCCH+Δss,2)mod 30=fss,2PUSCH=fss,2PUSCH and the two PUSCH signals are orthogonal to each other. Furthermore, the UL RS base sequences may be used to generate physical signals for two different format types of the PUCCH, those being PUCCH format 1, which also includes formats 1a and 1b, and PUCCH format 2, which also includes formats 2a and 2b. A resource used for transmission of PUCCH format 1/1a/1b (for scheduling request or HARQ-ACK) is represented by a non-negative index nPUCCH(1).
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a PUCCH resource partition in one pair of PRBs in a UL carrier in an LTE system according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a PUCCH resource index nPUCCH(1) determines an Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC) and a CS, which are used in combination to indicate a unique resource. As shown in FIG. 1, in one pair of PRBs, there are 36 PUCCHs resources available, wherein the OCC value is 3 and the CS value is 12.
Resources used for transmission of PUCCH format 1, 1a and 1b are identified by a resource index nPUCCH(1) from which the orthogonal sequence index noc(ns) and the cyclic shift α(ns,l) are determined according to Equation 7, given below.
                                                                                n              oc                                                  (                              n                s                            )                                =                      {                                                                                ⌊                                                                                n                              ′                                                                                (                                                              n                                s                                                            )                                                                                ·                                                                                Δ                              shift                              PUCCH                                                        /                                                          N                              ′                                                                                ⌋                                                                                for                                                                                normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                2                        ·                                                  ⌊                                                                                n                                ′                                                                                (                                                                  n                                  s                                                                )                                                                                ·                                                                                Δ                                shift                                PUCCH                                                            /                                                              N                                ′                                                                                ⌋                                                                                for                                                                                extended                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                α                                                        (                                                                  n                        s                                            ,                      l                                        )                                                              =                                                2                                                        π                    ·                                                                                n                          cs                                                                                (                                                                                n                              s                                                        ,                            l                                                    )                                                                    /                                              N                        sc                        RB                                                                                n                      cs                                                                                (                                                                        n                          s                                                ,                        l                                            )                                                                      =                                  {                                                                                [                                                                                n                                  cs                                  cell                                                                                (                                                                                n                                      s                                                                        ,                                    l                                                                    )                                                                                +                                                                                (                                                                                n                                                ′                                                                                (                                                                                n                                                  s                                                                                )                                                                                ·                                                                                Δ                                              shift                                              PUCCH                                                                                +                                                                                δ                                            offset                                            PUCCH                                                                                +                                                                                (                                                                                n                                              oc                                                                                (                                                                                n                                                s                                                                                )                                                                                mod                                                                                Δ                                              shift                                              PUCCH                                                                                )                                                                                )                                                                                mod                                                                                N                                  ′                                                                                ]                                                                              mod                                                                                N                            sc                            RB                                                                                for                                                                                normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                [                                                                                n                                  cs                                  cell                                                                                (                                                                                n                                      s                                                                        ,                                    l                                                                    )                                                                                +                                                                                (                                                                                n                                                ′                                                                                (                                                                                n                                                  s                                                                                )                                                                                ·                                                                                Δ                                              shift                                              PUCCH                                                                                +                                                                                δ                                            offset                                            PUCCH                                                                                +                                                                                n                                              oc                                                                                (                                                                                n                                                s                                                                                )                                                                                /                                          2                                                                                )                                                                                mod                                                                                N                                  ′                                                                                ]                                                                              mod                                                                                N                            sc                            RB                                                                                for                                                                                extended                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                    ,                                                                                [                  Equation                                                              7                ]            wherein N′ and c are determined according to Equation 8, given below.
                              N          ′                =                  {                                                                                N                      cs                                              (                        1                        )                                                                                if                                                                                n                          PUCCH                                                      (                            1                            )                                                                                <                                              c                        ·                                                                              N                            cs                                                          (                              1                              )                                                                                /                                                      Δ                            shift                            PUCCH                                                                                N                      sc                      RB                                                                            otherwise                                                                                c                        =                          {                                                                    3                                                                              normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                2                                                                              extended                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                [                  Equation                                                              8                ]            In a case where ns mod 2=0, the resource indices within the two resource blocks in the two slots of a subframe to which the PUCCH is mapped are determined by Equation 9, given below.
                                          n            ′                                          (                          n              s                        )                          =                  {                                                                      n                  PUCCH                                      (                    1                    )                                                                                if                                                                                n                      PUCCH                                              (                        1                        )                                                                              <                                      c                    ·                                                                  N                        cs                                                  (                          1                          )                                                                    /                                              Δ                        shift                        PUCCH                                                                                (                                                                  n                        PUCCH                                                  (                          1                          )                                                                    -                                              c                        ·                                                                              N                            cs                                                          (                              1                              )                                                                                /                                                      Δ                            shift                            PUCCH                                                                                )                                                                          mod                                                              (                                              c                        ·                                                                              N                            sc                            RB                                                    /                                                      Δ                            shift                            PUCCH                                                                                )                                                                                otherwise                                                                        [                  Equation                                                              9                ]            In a case where ns mod 2=1, the resource indices within the two resource blocks in the two slots of a subframe to which the PUCCH is mapped are determined by Equation 10, given below.
                                          n            ′                                          (                          n              s                        )                          =                  {                                                                                [                                              c                                                                          (                                                                                n                                ′                                                                                (                                                                                n                                    s                                                                    -                                  1                                                                )                                                                                +                            1                                                    )                                                                    ]                                                                                mod                                                                    (                                                                                cN                              sc                              RB                                                        /                                                          Δ                              shift                              PUCCH                                                                                +                          1                                                )                                                                              -                  1                                                                                n                    PUCCH                                          (                      1                      )                                                        ≥                                      c                    ·                                                                  N                        cs                                                  (                          1                          )                                                                    /                                              Δ                        shift                        PUCCH                                                                                ⌊                                          h                      /                      c                                        ⌋                                    +                                                            (                                              h                                                                                mod                                                                                c                                            )                                                                                N                        ′                                            /                                              Δ                        shift                        PUCCH                                                                                otherwise                  ,                                                                                [                  Equation                                                              10                ]            wherein h=(n′(ns−1)+d)mod(cN′/ΔshiftPUCCH) with d=2 for a normal Cyclic Prefix (CP) and d=0 for an extended CP. The quantities ΔshiftPUCCH and δoffsetPUCCH may be set by higher layers. Furthermore, PUCCH 1a carries one-bit information using BPSK (+1,−1) modulation, while PUCCH 1b carries two-bit information using QPSK (+1,−1,+j,−j) modulation, where j=√√{square root over (−1)}.
Resources used for transmission of PUCCH formats 2, 2a, and 2b are identified by a resource index nPUCCH(2,{tilde over (p)}) from which the cyclic shift α{tilde over (p)}(ns,l) is determined according to Equation 11, given below.α{tilde over (p)}(ns,l)=2π·ncs({tilde over (p)})(ns,l)/NscRB,ncs({tilde over (p)})(ns,l)=(ncscell(ns,l)+ñ{tilde over (p)}(ns))mod NscRB,  [Equation 11]wherein, for ns mod 2=0,
            n              p        ~            ′                  (              n        s            )        =      {                                                      n              PUCCH                              (                                  2                  ,                                      p                    ~                                                  )                                                  mod                                                                                N              sc              RB                                                                          if                                                                                n                PUCCH                                  (                                      2                    ,                                          p                      ~                                                        )                                                      <                                          N                sc                RB                                                          N                RB                                  (                  2                  )                                                                                (                                                n                  PUCCH                                      (                                          2                      ,                                              p                        ~                                                              )                                                  +                                  N                  cs                                      (                    1                    )                                                  +                1                            )                                    mod                                                                                N              sc              RB                                                            otherwise            ,                              and for ns mod 2=1,
            n              p        ~            ′                  (              n        s            )        =      {                                                                                [                                                                  N                        sc                        RB                                                                                (                                                                                n                                                              p                                ~                                                            ′                                                                                (                                                                                n                                  s                                                                -                                1                                                            )                                                                                +                          1                                                )                                                              ]                                                      mod                                                                                (                                                                  N                        sc                        RB                                            +                      1                                        )                                    -                  1                                                                                if                                                                                n                PUCCH                                  (                                      2                    ,                                          p                      ~                                                        )                                                      <                                          N                sc                RB                                                          N                RB                                  (                  2                  )                                                                                (                                                N                  sc                  RB                                -                2                -                                  n                  PUCCH                                      (                                          2                      ,                                              p                        ~                                                              )                                                              )                                    mod                                                                                N              sc              RB                                                            otherwise            .
For PUCCH formats 2a and 2b, which are supported for a normal cyclic prefix only, the bits b(20), . . . , b(Mbit−1) may be modulated as described below in Table 1 resulting in a single modulation symbol d(10) used in the generation of the reference-signal for PUCCH format 2a and 2b.
TABLE 1PUCCHformatb(20), . . . , b(Mbit − 1)d(10)2a0  11−12b00  101 −j10   j11−1
FIG. 2 illustrates UL sub-cell splitting according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 2, with respect to CoMP operations or functionality in an LTE system, one of the deployment scenarios for CoMP operations may be referred to as CoMP Scenario 4. CoMP Scenario 4 may be case wherein a network has low power Remote Radio Heads (RRHs) within a macrocell coverage area, wherein the transmission and/or reception points created by the RRHs have the same cell Identifiers (IDs) as the macrocell. In such a case, the Cell-Specific Reference Signals (CRSs) may be transmitted by all Transmission Points (TPs), however each TP transmits its own Channel State Information (CSI)-RS, which is a TP specific CSI-RS. For DownLink (DL) data transmission, a UE may receive the downlink data from the TP or a set of TPs having the best DL signal quality. Due to the spatial isolation of the TPs, DL resources in TPs that are sufficiently isolated from one another may be reused in order to obtain a sub-cell splitting gain.
The CSI-RS may be defined according to the following description, and a CSI-RS-Config Information Element (IE) may be used to specify the CSI-RS configuration. The CSI-RS-Config IE is shown below in Table 2, and the fields of the CSI-RS-Config IE are defined according to Table 3, shown below.
TABLE 2- - ASN1STARTCSI-RS-Config-r10 ::= SEQUENCE { csi-RS-r10  CHOICE {  release   NULL,  setup    SEQUENCE {   antennaPortsCount-r10 ENUMERATED {an1, an2, an4, an8},   resourceConfig-r10INTEGER (0..31),   subframeConfig-r10 INTEGER (0..154),   p-c-r10 INTEGER (−8..15)  } }OPTIONAL,- - Need ON zeroTxPowerCSI-RS-r10  CHOICE {  release   NULL,  setup    SEQUENCE {   zeroTxPowerResourceConfigList-r10  BIT STRING (SIZE (16)),   zeroTxPowerSubframeConfig-r10  INTEGER (0..154)  } } OPTIONAL- - Need ON}-- ASN1STOP
TABLE 3CSI-RS-Config field descriptionsantennaPortsCountParameter represents the number of antenna ports used fortransmission of CSI reference signals where an1 corresponds to1, an2 to 2 antenna ports etc. see TS 36.211 [21, 6.10.5].p-CParameter: Pc, see TS 36.213 [23, 7.2.5].resourceConfigParameter: CSI reference signal configuration, see TS 36.211[21, table 184.108.40.206-1 and 184.108.40.206-2].subframeConfigParameter: ICSI-RS, see TS 36.211 [21, table 220.127.116.11-1].zeroTxPowerResourceConfigListParameter: ZeroPowerCSI-RS, see TS 36.211 [21, 184.108.40.206].zeroTxPowerSubframeConfigParameter: ICSI-RS, see TS 36.211 [21, table 126.96.36.199-1].
Furthermore, as CSI-RS may be mapped to resource elements according to the following description. In subframes configured for CSI-RS transmission, a reference signal sequence rl,ns(m) may be mapped to complex-valued modulation symbols ak,l(p), which are used as reference symbols on antenna port p according to Equation 12, given below.ak,l(p)=wl″·rl,ns(m′),  [Equation 12]wherein
  k  =            k      ′        +          12            m        +          {                                                                                -                  0                                                                                for                                                                                p                                        ∈                                          {                                              15                        ,                        16                                            }                                                        ,                                      normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                -                  6                                                                                for                                                                                p                                        ∈                                          {                                              17                        ,                        18                                            }                                                        ,                                      normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                -                  1                                                                                for                                                                                p                                        ∈                                          {                                              19                        ,                        20                                            }                                                        ,                                      normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                -                  7                                                                                for                                                                                p                                        ∈                                          {                                              21                        ,                        22                                            }                                                        ,                                      normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                -                  0                                                                                for                                                                                p                                        ∈                                          {                                              15                        ,                        16                                            }                                                        ,                                      extended                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                -                  3                                                                                for                                                                                p                                        ∈                                          {                                              17                        ,                        18                                            }                                                        ,                                      extended                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                -                  6                                                                                for                                                                                p                                        ∈                                          {                                              19                        ,                        20                                            }                                                        ,                                      extended                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                -                  9                                                                                for                                                                                p                                        ∈                                          {                                              21                        ,                        22                                            }                                                        ,                                      extended                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                l                =                              l            ′                    +                      {                                                                                l                        ″                                                                                CSI                                                                                reference                                                                                signal                                                                                configurations                                                                                0                                  -                                  19                                                                ,                                                                  normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                2                                                                          l                          ″                                                                                CSI                                                                                reference                                                                                signal                                                                                configurations                                                                                20                                  -                                  31                                                                ,                                                                  normal                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                l                        ″                                                                                CSI                                                                                reference                                                                                signal                                                                                configurations                                                                                0                                  -                                  27                                                                ,                                                                  extended                                                                                cyclic                                                                                prefix                                                                                w                                      l                    ″                                                              =                              {                                                                                1                                                                                p                              ∈                                                              {                                                                  15                                  ,                                  17                                  ,                                  19                                  ,                                  21                                                                }                                                                                (                                                                  -                                  1                                                                )                                                                                l                                ″                                                                                p                              ∈                                                              {                                                                  16                                  ,                                  18                                  ,                                  20                                  ,                                  22                                                                }                                                                                l                        ″                                                              =                    0                                    ,                                                            1                                                                                m                                        =                    0                                    ,                  1                  ,                  …                                                                                ,                                                                                N                        RB                        DL                                            -                                              1                                                                                m                          ′                                                                                =                                          m                      +                                              ⌊                                                                                N                              RB                                                              max                                ,                                DL                                                                                -                                                          N                              RB                              DL                                                                                2                                                ⌋
A quantity (k′,l′) and the necessary conditions on ns for normal cyclic prefix are shown below in Table 4.
TABLE 4CSI referencesignalCon-Number of CSI reference signals configuredfigurationnsnsns(resource1 or 2mod4mod8modConfig)(k′,l′)2(k′,l′)2(k′,l′)2Frame0(9, 5)0(9, 5)0(9, 5)0structure1(11, 2)1(11, 2)1(11, 2)1type 12(9, 2)1(9, 2)1(9, 2)1and 23(7, 2)1(7, 2)1(7, 2)14(9, 5)1(9, 5)1(9, 5)15(8, 5)0(8, 5)06(10, 2)1(10, 2)17(8, 2)1(8, 2)18(6, 2)1(6, 2)19(8, 5)1(8, 5)110(3, 5)011(2, 5)012(5, 2)113(4, 2)114(3, 2)115(2, 2)116(1, 2)117(0, 2)118(3, 5)119(2, 5)1Frame20(11, 1)1(11, 1)1(11, 1)1structure21(9, 1)1(9, 1)1(9, 1)1type 222(7, 1)1(7, 1)1(7, 1)1only23(10, 1)1(10, 1)124(8, 1)1(8, 1)125(6, 1)1(6, 1)126(5, 1)127(4, 1)128(3, 1)129(2, 1)130(1, 1)131(0, 1)1
A cell-specific subframe configuration period TCSI-RS and a cell-specific subframe offset ΔCSI-RS for the occurrence of CSI-RSs are provided in Table 5, as shown below.
TABLE 5CSI-RS periodicityCSI-RS subframe offsetCSI-RS-SubframeConfigTCSI-RSΔCSI-RSICSI-RS(subframes)(subframes)0-45ICSI-RS 5-1410ICSI-RS - 5 15-3420ICSI-RS - 1535-7440ICSI-RS - 35 75-15480ICSI-RS - 75
A parameter ICSI-RS may be configured separately for CSI reference signals for which a UE shall assume non-zero and zero transmission power. Subframes containing CSI-RSs may satisfy Equation 13, shown below.(10nf+└ns/2┘−ΔCSI-RS)mod TCSI-RS=0  [Equation 13]
FIG. 3 is an Enhanced-Physical DL Control Channel (E-PDCCH) according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 3, for LTE Release-11 (Rel-11), the E-PDCCH is being discussed for increasing DL control capacity within a cell and for mitigating inter-cell interference for DL control. E-PDCCHs may be disposed in a Physical DL Shared Channel (PDSCH) region as illustrated in FIG. 3, and the E-PDCCH may convey DL control signaling to LTE Rel-11 UEs that have been configured to receive the E-PDCCH.
A reuse technique used for the UL, is similar to the reuse technique used for the DL as described above with reference to FIG. 2. In the case of the UL, depending on a location of the UE in the cell, the UE may transmit signals to the TP or a set of TPs having the best uplink signal quality. Due to the spatial isolation of the TPs, uplink resources in TPs that are sufficiently isolated from one another may be reused in order to obtain sub-cell splitting gain. As shown in FIG. 2, if a UE is far from any of the RRHs, then the UE may use TP-common transmission in order to connect to the Macro-enhanced Node B (eNB), which may also be referred to as a base station, and the other RRH TPs in the cell. Meanwhile, if a UE is close to one or more RRHs, then the UE may use TP-specific transmission to communicate with the network. In FIG. 2, dashed lines indicate TP-common uplink transmissions that are received by both the Macro-eNB and the RRHs, whereas solid lines indicate TP-specific uplink transmissions that are received only by nearby TPs.
For both the DL and the UL, the TPs for TP-specific transmission may be determined according to two methods. In a first method, TPs are selected according to a measurement of a UE's UL signal via at least one of the SRS, the PUCCH, the PUSCH, and any other suitable UL signal. For example, TPs listen to the UE's UL signals and the network determines each UE's TPs for the TP-specific transmission based on the TPs' measurement of the UE's UL signals. According to another exemplary embodiment, that being the second method of determining TPs for the TP-specific transmission, TPs are selected according to a UE's measurement of the CSI-RS. For example, the UE measures the CSI-RS and reports measurements, such as a Reference Signal Receive Power (RSRP) or other similar signal measurements, to the network. Accordingly, the network decides each UE's TPs for the TP-specific transmission according to the UE's measurement reports.
Up to LTE Rel-10, CRSs are used for the Pathloss (PL) estimation. Since a set of CRSs is uniquely defined for a given cell, CRS-based PL estimation works well for cellular deployment scenarios wherein TPs of a given cell are centralized and uniform with respect to the TPs' transmission power and other capabilities. However, for a non-uniform scenario, such as a system that includes both Macro-eNBs and distributed RRHs within an area having a single cell-ID, wherein the CRSs are transmitted by all TPs in a Single Frequency Network (SFN) manner, CRS-based PL estimation measures an "averaged" version of the channel quality with respect to all of the TPs. Accordingly the CRS-based PL estimation may not be associated with a physical channel quality between the UE and any individual TP from among all the TPs.
In further detail, with reference to FIG. 2, in a Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) system having distributed RRHs, there may be different PL estimates for each of UE1 to UE3. For example, in a case where the Macro-eNB transmits at 43 DBM and the RRH transmits at 23 dBM, PL estimates may be calculated in the following methods. According to a first method, for a CRS-based PL estimate, wherein all RRHs are turned off and thus, only the Macro-eNB is active, a RSRP=−80 dBm and a PL_1 estimate=43 dB+80 dB=123 dB. According to a second method, for a CRS-based PL estimate, wherein the CRSs are transmitted by all TPs in the SFN manner, a RSRP=−65 dBm (as averaged from all nodes) and a PL_2 estimate=43 dB+65 dB=108 dB. In contrast, for an actual PL to the RRH, using a correct reference power, a RSRP=−67 dBm for only the RRH, and the actual PL_3=23 dB+67 dB=90 dB.
As can be seen above, the PL_2 estimate of 108 dB is approximately 18 dB over the actual PL_3, that being 90 dB, which the UE experiences with the nearby RRH. In another words, for TP-specific transmissions that target the particular nearby RRH, by using the LTE Rel-10 UL PC equation and PL estimate, a UE will transmit at a power level 18 dB above that which is needed in order to reach the RRH. Furthermore, it is noted that the overestimation is primarily a result of the wrong assumption of reference RS power with the CRS, which may only be set as one single value for a cell in LTE Rel-10. Accordingly, there is a waste of UE power and an increase of network interference due to the higher power level transmission.
As discussed above, the RSRP may be a linear average of the power contributions (in Watts) of resource elements that carry cell-specific reference signals within the frequency bandwidth that is being measured. Cell-specific reference signals R0 may be used to determine the RSRP. However, if the UE reliably detects that reference signal R1 is available, then the RSRP may be determined according to R1 and R0. The reference point on the UE for determining the RSRP may be the antenna connector of the UE. However, if receiver diversity is being used by the UE, then the reported RSRP value may not be lower than a RSRP value of any individual branch used in the receiver diversity.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for providing a more efficient CoMP transmission and reception for uplink transmissions in a wireless communication system.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.

Apparatus and method for uplink transmission in wireless communication systems


A coupling structure includes a coupling member having a cylindrical, axially slotted end with a cylindrical opening extending therethrough and perpendicular thereto having an axis of generation parallel to the sides of the slot and including a conical surface, a conical member within the opening having a conical surface in contact with the opening's conical surface and threaded structure for axially adjustably securing the conical member in the opening. A tapered liner may surround the slotted end of the coupling member and a threaded insert may be provided over one end of the opening for receiving an end of the conical member. One embodiment includes one conical surface in the opening and one conical member provided within the opening. A second embodiment includes two separate conical surfaces in the opening along with two separate conical members in opposite ends of the opening connected by and axially adjustable along a liner member. A coupling method includes securing a coupling member having a slot in one end thereof to a second member by passing a conical member into the slot transversely of the coupling member to expand the one end of coupling member in a recess in the second member while urging the coupling member into the recess. One embodiment includes passing a single conical member into a conical opening in the slot. In a second embodiment, conical members are provided in both ends of the opening in the slot.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to coupling structures and methods and refers more specifically to a method of and structure for securing a coupling member to a tool holder. The structure includes conical means for expanding one end of a coupling member in a recess in a tool holder. The method of securing the coupling member to the tool holder comprises drawing one end of the coupling member into a recess in the tool holder and then expanding the one end of the coupling member in the recess in the tool holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In prior coupling structures and methods wherein separate tool bit holders, for example, including coupling members have been used between tool bits and tool holders, such tool bit holders have necessarily been positioned with respect to the tool holders and the cutting force applied so that the cutting force has not tended to remove the tool bit holders from the tool holder. In such past coupling structures and methods, the cutting force has necessarily tended to secure the tool bit holders to the tool holder since no special precautions have been taken in prior structures and methods to insure that the tool bit holders remain in an exact position the tool holders if the cutting force is applied so as to tend to remove the tool bit holders from the tool holders.


The present invention provides a process for preparing crystalline parahydroxybenzoic acid anhydride, comprising the step of precipitating and isolating parahydroxybenzoic acid in an aqueous solvent at a temperature equal to or above the transition temperature of parahydroxybenzoic acid.

Parahydroxybenzoic acid has been used for manufacturing a wide variety of products including liquid crystalline polymers and preservatives for cosmetics and medicines. Generally, parahydroxybenzoic acid is prepared by a method in which phenol is reacted with potassium hydroxide to give potassium phenoxide, and the obtained potassium phenoxide is reacted with carbon dioxide under pressure to give potassium parahydroxybenzoate and then, parahydroxybenzoic acid is isolated by means of aciding out procedure, i.e. by adding a mineral acid to the salt.
For a long time, the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction, a solid-gas phase reaction, had been employed for the reaction between potassium phenoxide and carbon dioxide. This reaction, however, has several problems such as the long reaction time, the high amount waste of the starting materials in the side reaction, and the difficulty of attaining a stable yield. In order to solve those problems, a number of methods have been proposed.
One of the inventors has proposed a process for preparing parahydroxybenzoic acid, which comprises the step of reacting potassium phenoxide with carbon dioxide in the presence of an appropriate solvent in a suspension at a temperature equal to or more than 180° C., wherein phenol in an amount required for reacting with dipotassium parahydroxybenzoate to give potassium phenoxide is added to the reaction before the initiation of the carboxylation step. The process can produce potassium parahydroxybenzoate in a short time with high yield in a continuous manner (Japanese Patent Publication (KOKOKU) No. 9529/1970).
Parahydroxybenzoic acid can be obtained by precipitating the resulting potassium parahydroxybenzoate with acid. Thus obtained parahydroxybenzoic acid is then isolated from the solution by filtration with the aid of centrifugation, washed with water, and dried to be used as a starting material for manufacturing, for example, liquid crystalline polymers.
Parahydroxybenzoic acid, however, is highly soluble in aqueous solvent and therefore the yield of the product is low when the precipitated product is collected from aqueous solvent, e.g., by precipitation with acid. For this reason, to improve the yield, the solution containing parahydroxybenzoic acid is usually cooled to around room temperature to give slurry and then centrifuged to collect parahydroxybenzoic acid. The resulting product is crystalline parahydroxybenzoic acid monohydrate containing a lot of water which comes from the hydrated water and the aqueous solvent. It brings the necessity of a lot of energy to eliminate the water in the drying step, resulting in the high production cost and the long processing time.
In addition, the size of the obtained crystal is small. When thus obtained crystals are added into a reaction vessel as a starting material for manufacturing liquid crystalline polymers or the like, fine particles of parahydroxybenzoic acid fly in the air as powder dust, and t therefore they are difficult to handle.

Crystalline parahydroxybenzoic acid anhydride and process for preparing the same

Kabushiki Kaisha Ueno Seiyaku Oyo Kenkyujo


In a working cylinder, with a cylinder casing, in the cylinder interior of which is mounted a driving piston capable of linear movement under fluidic pressurization, wherein the cylinder casing is mounted between two cylinder covers closing the cylinder interior, wherein the cylinder covers each have a central section and an outer frame section, with at least four mounting areas and encompassing the central section, wherein there is formed between the frame section and the central section an annular space, in which are provided reinforcing struts aligned radially and each extending towards an assigned mounting area, outer surfaces of each reinforcing strut diverge away from the assigned mounting area towards the central section.

The invention relates to a working cylinder with a cylinder casing, in the cylinder interior of which is mounted a driving piston, capable of linear movement under fluidic pressurisation, wherein the cylinder casing is mounted between two cylinder covers closing the cylinder interior, wherein the cylinder covers each have a central section and an outer frame section, with at least four mounting areas and encompassing the central section, wherein there is formed between the frame section and the central section an annular space, in which are provided reinforcing struts aligned radially and each extending towards an assigned mounting area.
Working cylinders are used as elements performing work, for example in industrial pneumatics or hydraulics. Working cylinders may also be in the form of standard cylinder, in which certain contours are fixed. Such standard cylinders have a cylinder casing which is clamped by clamping means between two cylinder covers. The clamping means generally comprise several tie rods, each extending from one cylinder cover to the other, outside the cylinder casing, and fixed to the cylinder covers by fixing means in such a way that the cylinder casing is clamped between the two cylinder covers.
Typical embodiments of such cylinder covers, as used in particular for large cylinders, include square contours, offset depressions/recesses for tie-rod nuts, and diagonal ribbing. The ribbing is often designed with sharp edges and/or small radii which, due to the higher notch stresses occurring there, are responsible for reduced component loadability. The continuous contoured walls make only a limited contribution to mechanical component stability, and/or create load-critical areas around the screw connection.


An auxiliary rearview mirror and light assembly includes a non-incandescent light source, an auxiliary rearview mirror, a power source adapter, and a primary rearview mirror mounting assembly. The primary rearview mirror mounting assembly includes at least one fixed appendage and at least one adjustable appendage. The fixed appendage and the adjustable appendage are positioned in an opposing direction. The adjustable appendage has a bias element that exerts a force on the adjustable appendage in a direction towards the fixed appendage. The adjustable appendage is extensible to fit the primary rearview mirror.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to auxiliary rearview mirrors and more specifically to auxiliary rearview mirrors with lights.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art that rearview mirrors have been associated with motor vehicles for a long time. Prior art rearview mirrors are typically found mounted to one of three surface areas in the motor vehicle. These three surface areas are the dashboard, the upper interior surface of the front windshield, and the interior of the roof adjacent to the front windshield. Rearview mirrors are commonly mounted to these surfaces using screws, bolts, and/or adhesive. To enhance the utility of vehicle rearview mirrors several design alternatives have been employed. One alternative is to affix an auxiliary rearview mirror to a primary rearview mirror. The primary rearview mirror is the rearview mirror that is typically mounted to the motor vehicle during initial manufacture. Many times the auxiliary rearview mirror is an after market product purchased and installed by the consumer. The auxiliary rearview mirror is affixed by either adhesion to the face of the primary rearview mirror or mounted to the housing of the primary rearview mirror. Auxiliary rearview mirrors are useful to enhance rear visibility when performing vehicular functions such as towing and/or hauling. Designs consistent with this idea have also been used to reduce and/or eliminate primary rearview mirror blind areas.
Although the use of auxiliary rearview mirrors is beneficial it is not without its shortcomings and problems. One problem is the mounting of the auxiliary rearview mirror. If the auxiliary rearview mirror is affixed with adhesives the resulting effect is to have a permanently installed auxiliary rearview mirror. Additionally, adhering the auxiliary rearview mirror requires careful placement and adhesion of the mounting surface to the face of the primary rearview mirror. If the auxiliary rearview mirror is mounted to the primary rearview mirror the existing mounting assemblies result in a semi-permanent installation. Mounting assemblies typically consist of bolt down mechanism that require time and care in placement. Mounting assemblies can also result in marring of the mounting surface of the primary rearview mirror. Many consumers do not want permanent additions to their vehicle since many times a given vehicle is used by more than one individual within a family with different needs. The permanence of prior art mounts results in consumer reluctance to install and/or remove the auxiliary rearview mirror. Accordingly, a need exists to provide an auxiliary rearview mirror that integrates a mounting assembly that provides for simple installation and removal from a primary rearview mirror.
Auxiliary rearview mirrors have also integrated functional elements with the designs. Typically this will be elements such as map lights, and/or signal lights. Designs integrating functional elements to the design generally provide additional utility to the consumer. Presently there exists a consumer base that is interested in a purely aesthetic light without the demand for functionality. This is apparent in the increased consumer demand for vehicular effects lighting. Vehicle effects lighting is generally limited to non-incandescent lights mounted under the vehicle carriage and around the license plate frame. The non-incandescent lights include lights such as neon and/or black lights. Effects lighting permits consumers to personalize vehicle aesthetics. To fulfill the consumer desire to personalize vehicle aesthetics additional designs integrating effects lighting to vehicle interiors is needed. Problems exist with the availability of effects lighting in the interior of vehicles. Moreover, as stated above, if a given vehicle is used by different drivers within a family, the younger drivers may have different aesthetic desires than the older drivers. Accordingly, a need exists to over come these problems and to provide an auxiliary rearview mirror and light assembly that integrates a non-incandescent light source which is easy to install and/or remove from the primary rearview mirror.
Another alternative design is a replacement rearview mirror. The replacement rearview mirror typically integrates functional elements not found in the original rearview mirror. As with the auxiliary rearview mirror discussed above, lights associated with this type of design generally provide additional utility to the consumer. This results in a problem for the consumer who desires aesthetic vehicle lighting but wishes to avoid the expense of special electrical wiring for the light Additionally, often the removal of the original rearview mirror is required. This will add to the overall cost and time it takes to install the replacement rearview mirror. Accordingly, a need exists to provide an auxiliary rearview mirror and light assembly that permits easy wiring for the consumer.
Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, disclosed is an auxiliary rearview mirror and non-incandescent light assembly mountable on a primary rearview mirror. A casing houses the non-incandescent light source, a rearview mirror, and a power source interface. The casing has openings formed on one or more sides permitting outward illumination of the non-incandescent light source from the casing. A mounting assembly is integrated into the housing. The mounting assembly comprises at least one fixed appendage and at least one adjustable appendage. The fixed and adjustable appendage are opposed permitting placement of a primary rearview mirror between the fixed and adjustable appendage. The adjustable appendage is extensible permitting adjustment to fit varying sizes of primary rearview mirrors. A bias force is maintained on the adjustable appendage such that a resultant force acts towards the fixed appendage effectively clamping the auxiliary rearview mirror in place. The mounting assembly permits easy installation and removal of the auxiliary rearview mirror and light assembly. A plug adapted to receive power from the vehicle auxiliary power receptacle and/or cigarette lighter receptacle provides power to the incandescent light source.

Auxiliary rearview mirror and light assembly


A game including a playing area divided into a plurality of spaces, and sets of game pieces with each set associated with different players or teams. The players or teams execute strategically selected instructions, such as move, stack and flip, to position their game pieces in the spaces. The first player or team to place their game pieces on spaces such that top game pieces of stacks form a predetermined design, such as a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row, wins the game. The game allows players flexibility to select rules to adjust the skill level of the game.

Various games have been developed which involve movement of game pieces along a board. Some of these games involve moving pieces according to specific rules or employ the use of random generators (dice or spinners). Games may progress due to shear chance from the random generator or require complex strategies involving different types of movements from varying pieces. The complexity of the different pieces making different moves may make the game too complex for children.
Other games may involve a central theme and a high degree of interaction among the players. These games may not require the use of strategies related to the movement of game pieces.
A game requiring strategy for the movement of pieces as well as interaction with other players is desired. A game that can have the level of complexity easily reduced so that the game can be enjoyed by children as well as adults is also desirable.


An article of manufacture according to the present invention comprises a composition including a glycosaminoglycan, a local anesthetic, and a buffer packaged in a syringe or vial constructed from either glass or a plastic selected from the group consisting of cyclic olefin polymer, cyclic olefin copolymer, or high density non-nucleated polypropylene. The composition has unexpectedly improved stability on storage. The composition can be formulated for treatment of a urinary tract disease or condition, such as interstitial cystitis, also known as bladder pain syndrome or hypersensitive bladder syndrome.

Interstitial cystitis (IC), also frequently known as bladder pain syndrome or hypersensitive bladder syndrome, is a chronic progressive disorder of the lower urinary tract that causes urinary urgency and frequency and/or pelvic pain. American Urology Association defines IC/BPS as "An unpleasant sensation (pain, pressure, discomfort) perceived to be related to the urinary bladder, associated with lower urinary tract symptoms of more than six weeks duration, in the absence of infection or other identifiable causes." For many years, urologists regarded IC/BPS as a rare disease for which they had no broadly effective treatment. In fact, the condition is quite common. In 1999, prevalence in the United States was estimated at 750,000 cases (Curhan, et al. J Urol 161(2):549-552 (1999)). However current estimates from the RAND Interstitial Cystitis Epidemiology (RICE) study suggests the true prevalence of IC/BPS is estimated to be 2.7% to 6.53% (approximately 3.3 to 7.9 million US women age 18 or older) and 2.9% to 4.2% (approximately 2.0 to 4.6 million US men age 18 or older) Berry S H et al. J Urol 2011; 186: 540. And Suskind A M et al. J Urol 2013; 189: 141 (. In addition overactive bladder, urethral syndrome, prostatitis, and gynecologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome comprises millions of patients that also result in bladder symptoms of urgency, frequency, incontinence and or pelvic pain with no effective therapy and all these syndromes share similar symptoms and likely a common pathophysiology with traditionally diagnosed IC (Parsons, C L Int Br J Urol December, 2010); there are no broadly effective treatments for these conditions.
Therefore, treatments that would both benefit a larger portion of the patient population, provide immediate relief of symptoms without causing additional pain, without requiring extensive alterations in diet, and further provide reversal of the disease process over time are necessary.
Compositions and methods for the treatment of interstitial cystitis are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,414,039 to Parsons, issued Aug. 19, 2008 and entitled "Interstitial Therapy for Immediate Symptom Relief and Chronic Therapy in Interstitial Cystitis," and in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0300219 by Parsons, published Dec. 4, 2008 and entitled "Novel Interstitial Therapy for Immediate Symptom Relief and Chronic Therapy in Interstitial Cystitis," both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference, as well as PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2006/07663 by Flashner et al., published Jul. 20, 2006 and entitled "Kits and Improved Compositions for Treating Lower Urinary Tract Disorders," and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2007/073397 by Flashner et al., published Jun. 28, 2007 and entitled "Kits and Improved Compositions for Treating Lower Urinary Tract Disorders," both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference. In general, the compositions disclosed in this issued patent and these published patent applications comprise a local anesthetic, typically lidocaine, a glycosaminoglycan, typically a heparinoid, more typically heparin, and a buffer. The composition is instilled into the urinary bladder. The buffer is typically phosphate buffer, although, as described below, other buffers, such as bicarbonate buffer or Tris buffer, can be used. A particularly preferred phosphate buffer is sodium phosphate buffer.
Alkalinized lidocaine and heparin can be used to successfully treat bladder symptoms such as, but not limited to, urinary frequency, urgency, incontinence and bladder generated pain. Pain generated by the urinary bladder (a visceral organ) is not always perceived to be arising from the bladder. Pain can be referred anywhere from the navel to the knees and will also refer from the lumbar area down the buttocks to the legs and often has no relation to bladder filling or emptying. Consequently the origin of pelvic pain may not be recognized to be from the bladder. These bladder symptoms can be seen in a variety of "clinical syndromes" which may actually be all from one disease process: a dysfunctional epithelium (Parsons, C L Int Br J Urol, December 2010)). Nonetheless all these syndromes that can generate bladder symptoms that can be successfully treated with this solution, including, but not limited to, overactive bladder, interstitial cystitis, urethral syndrome in women, recurrent lower urinary tract infection, prostatitis (male chronic pelvic pain syndrome), radiation cystitis, chemical cystitis, gynecologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (e.g. endometriosis, vulvodynia, vulvovaginitis, yeast vaginitis).
However, there is a problem in mixing these compounds, as the wrong balance may result in the precipitation of lidocaine and loss of efficacy. Lidocaine when exposed to pH's at or above 7.0 will de-ionize and absorb through lipid membranes such as the bladder epithelium. As a result, the absorbed lidocaine will anesthetize the bladder nerves and relieve bladder symptoms noted above. The heparin will "coat" the bladder wall and inhibit the diffusion of urine solutes that provoke the bladder symptoms in the first place. So the combination provides prolonged relief of bladder symptoms (Parsons, Urology 2003). However, mixing the heparin, lidocaine, and buffering agent has to be done in an exact way to prevent the precipitation of the lidocaine since lidocaine will precipitate at pH values above 7 depending on the conditions. The precipitation of lidocaine reduces its bioavailability and reduces the efficacy of the composition.
However, even if the composition is prepared in a way that prevents immediate precipitation of the lidocaine on the formation of the composition involving the mixing of the glycosaminoglycan, the buffer, and the local anesthetic, the storage and transportation of the composition requires long-term stability. One factor in the loss of stability of the lidocaine and thus the loss of lidocaine from the composition is the interaction of the alkalinized lidocaine with syringe components. Lidocaine becomes bound to the syringe after sterilization. In the absence of such long-term stability, there is a significant risk that a patient will be administered a dosage of one or more of the components of the composition that will not have the desired clinical effect. Therefore, there is a particular need for compositions of manufacture that include the composition and are stable, and can be transported and stored in a form that is ready for administration to a patient. In addition, there is a need for such a composition of matter that can withstand sterilization without a significant decrease in stability.

Article of manufacture comprising local anesthetic, buffer, and glycosaminoglycan in syringe with improved stability


Efficient micro-pumping of gas/liquids is provided. In one embodiment a pipeline of insulative material can be asymmetrically coated with electrodes. The asymmetric coating can affect the flow passage to create straight and swirl pumping effects. The electrodes can include electrode pairs arranged at intervals along the pipeline, each electrode pair being capable of inducing an electrohydrodynamic body force. The electrode pairs can be formed at the same surface, such as along the inner perimeter of the pipeline, and can be powered by steady, pulsed direct, or alternating current. Alternatively, the electrode pairs can be separated by the insulative material of the pipeline, and can be powered with direct or alternating current operating at radio frequency.

Microfluidic systems have been configured in various ways to move fluids through small channels. One configuration for channels where capillary forces dominate involves establishing a pressure differential between a point where the fluid is and a point where the fluid is to be moved. Other fluid pumps that address this problem of fluid flow utilize electrical, electrokinetic, or thermal forces to move fluids through microchannels. In instances where electrical driving forces are used, fluids may be moved through electrocapillary or electrowetting. In instances where electrokinetic forces are used, fluids may be moved through electrophoresis or electroosmosis. In addition, driving forces such as dielectrophoresis, electrohydrodynamic pumping, or magneto-hydrodynamic pumping are implemented by configuring electrodes and selecting and placing fluids within the microchannel in an appropriate manner.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,876 utilizes electroosmosis and electrohydrodynamic principles, where wire electrodes are inserted into the walls of the channels at pre-selected intervals. As another example of fluid flow techniques, U.S. Pat. No. 6,949,176 uses capacitance forces to move fluid through a microchannel. In addition, the Knudsen pump, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,554 utilizes thermal transpiration for effecting gas flow.
However, there is a need for a fluid pump capable of efficient pumping of fluids, including gasses and liquids, which can have applications in small systems where capillary forces are not sufficient to create flow and Knudsen pumps are not workable.

Method and apparatus for efficient micropumping

University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


An industrial internet of things gateway boot method is described wherein installation, operation and maintenance phases are controlled to limit the chance of a malicious attack on a connected network.

Consistency and reliability are desired quantities when computer operability is desired. System architects try, through their computer architecture designs, to provide a secure environment for transfer of data. Computer hackers, may use malicious means to gain access to a computer network and the data being transferred. In some instances, computer networks may incorporate thousands of components and parts and the vulnerability of just one part of the network may allow a hacker to have unauthorized access to other sections of the network. In oil and gas recovery operations, for example, networks may be used to transfer real time data of field operations to a client or control center. These operations can be significantly safety significant if a breach were to occur.
With the advent of interconnected computers, computer networks and cloud systems allow for exchange of data in real time, potentially greatly enhancing work efficiency. One challenge with computer networks, however, is that with an increase in the number of network-enabled devices, many different pathways exist in which a possible attack on the network may be performed.
In other environments, with the great number of computer endpoints and the constant maintenance required for the network, malicious attacks can occur from entities that seek out newly added components to a network. Once a portion of the network is compromised, a hacker can attempt to infiltrate other sections of the network. For these reasons, architects seek to provide a defense in depth strategy that seeks to limit the depth of an attack. Some protection schemes attempt to only protect an endpoint of the computer architecture. Some protections schemes attempt to protect web traffic. An often missed potential security protection scheme is to protect gateways to the network.
As safety is paramount in some computer operations, there is a need to provide a method that provides for a check of authenticity at a gateway point for a network to limit unauthorized access.
There is also a need to provide a highly efficient method of computer verification and prevention of attempts to access a network or cloud based structure.

Industrial internet of things gateway boot methods


The present invention provides an array of computer cells in which adjacent computer cells communicate over optical pathways.

Herein, related art may be discussed to put the invention in context. Related art labeled "prior art" is admitted prior art; related art not labeled "prior art" is not admitted prior art.
Computer purchases for large enterprises can be challenging as computing needs are difficult to predict and tend to change, e.g., grow, over time. As computing power tends to become less expensive overtime, purchasing enough hardware for long-term future needs is usually not economical. Expandable systems are widely available, but are still costly as provisions for expansion, e.g., slots and electrical connectivity typically must be included in the hardware with the initial acquisition. The present invention addresses the problem allowing an expandable system without requiring a pre-existing interconnect structure for modular components. Other features of the invention are apparent in the detailed description below with reference to the following drawings.

Modular array computer with optical intercell communications pathways

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.