The disclosure is an eyeglass frame including a straight relatively rigid bar having a plurality of notches disposed along its length, and carrying a generally U-shaped nose piece having a tab adapted to be inserted in and locked in the central notch in the bar. The bar also carries a pair of circular lens holders having tabs for insertion in selected notches in the bar so that the spacing between the lens holders and the lenses carried thereby can be adjusted. A headband is also provided having tabs for insertion in notches in the frame bar to hold the frame on the head of the user.

At the present time, commercially available eyeglass frames are predetermined in size and shape and cannot be adjusted to any great extent to accommodate different wearers. This is not a problem in civilized countries in which purvevors of frames have many different sizes and shapes to accommodate a buyer.
However, in third world countries or in remote areas of any country where eyeglasses may not even be available, providing eyeglass frames is a difficult problem for which there is no presently known solution.


A fingertip tactile sense input device for a personal digital assistant capable of various input operations produced by a moving fingertip over projections recognized by the fingertip tactile sense. An input plate has a plurality of fingertip input projections and input control means that encodes an input signal when a projection is depressed. A fingertip can be moved over the input plate with the wrists fixed. The projections are disposed within a surface area outlined by an inverted generally egg-shaped curve C1 or C2, which is usable equally by the index fingertip of either hand.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fingertip touch input devices for entering alphanumeric data into Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, and other information terminals and electronic equipment, especially handheld ones.
2. Background Art
In recent years, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), cellular phones, and Personal Handy Phone Systems (PHS) have be come popular. Such devices are miniaturized for convenient carrying. Various models are available. Some can receive and transfer image data, and some include a camera to obtain the image data.
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. of Japan is providing an Internet access service called i-mode that is used in Japan and some European countries. This service connects a cellular phone to the Internet. In order to connect a cellular phone to the Internet, the display screen on the cellular phone is made as large as possible, and more legible display screens came to be desired.
However, if a PDA uses the structure of a conventional key button array, there is a limit to the size of the display. This is because the key buttons in such an array are close to each other. Therefore, when a user pushes a key button with a finger, an adjoining key button may be pushed accidentally. To avoid simultaneously depressing two adjoining key buttons, the pitch of key buttons must generally be 8 mm-15 mm. This causes keypads be about 40 mm-50 mm wide and 50 mm-60 mm long, including a function key. A display screen on the same surface of a PDA as the keypad must be made smaller if the keypad is larger. Otherwise, the PDA must be made larger, making it inconvenient to carry.
Japanese patent JP,2000-165492 shows conventional key button structures for cellular phones. FIG. 11 herein shows such a prior art structure. A depression 101 is formed in the outer case 100 of a cellular phone. It receives a key button 102 having a backward projection 103. A dome 105 in a resilient sheet 104 gives a tactile click when the button is pressed. An electrically conducting foil 106 is printed on the dome 105. A conducting pattern 108 is formed in a substrate 107. A cushion 109 is provided in the depression 101. A lower case layer 111 is provided.
A hole 110 in the bottom of depression 101 receives the button projection 103. The dome 103 of sheet 104 is located under the button projection 103. When a button 102 is pressed, the user feels a click due to the resiliency of the dome. The printed wiring 106 on the underside of the dome contacts the pattern 108 of substrate 107. The key buttons 102 are sealed against the outer case 100 to prevent water or foreign matter from penetrating and damaging the internal electric parts.
A fingertip covers one key button 102, and only the surface area that can be pushed selectively, is required for a keypad. It is necessary to provide spacing between the key buttons of about 0.5-1.0 times the size of a key button so that two or more key buttons 102 are not pushed simultaneously. For this reason, if the size of each key button 102 is about 10 mm×10 mm, and the keypad array has a 3×8 array of buttons, the width of the keypad array is 50 mm-70 mm and the length is 105 mm-170 mm. The smallest possible keypad is about 50 mm wide and 80 mm long. This keypad limits the size of display screen that can be used. This is a serious limitation for a cellular phone or PHS, which can transmit and receive pictures and animations.
Japanese patent JP,2000-278391 shows a cellular phone with a handwriting input pad on the back of the case. FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 13 herein show such a prior art device. FIG. 12A is a back perspective view of a conventional cellular phone with a handwriting pad on the back. FIG. 12B is a front perspective view of the cellular phone of FIG. 12A. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a conventional cellular phone that performs handwriting input on a pad on the back. In FIGS. 12A and 12B a touch panel 120 is mounted on the back side of a cellular phone. An LCD display 121 on the front of the cellular phone performs the various displays of a cellular phone. Key buttons 122 on the front of the phone are operated by a hand 123. FIG. 13 shows that the touch sensitive panel 120 is operated by a touch-panel drive means 120a, and the LCD display is operated by an LCD actuation drive 121a. Operation drive means 122a senses depression a key button 122 as an input signal.
The touch panel 120 can input handwritten lines and alphanumeric characters. Since this conventional cellular phone has a touch panel 120 on the back, it requires fewer front key buttons 122. This allows a larger LCD display 121. However, the operation of handwriting input is complicated, and it cannot create E-mail quickly. It is difficult to increase the precision of character recognition. A user inputs data while looking at the touch panel 120 on the back. The user must turn the phone over and view the front LCD display in order to verify input. This is user-unfriendly. The front key buttons 122 are fundamentally the same as the key buttons on a conventional Personal Digital Assistant.
As explained above, a conventional key button array on a Personal Digital Assistant requires key buttons large enough to allow a fingertip to push only one button at a time. For this reason conventional keypads including function keys are normally about 50 mm-70 mm wide and 105 mm-170 mm long. Even the smallest of these keypads is a problem for PDAs, cellular phones, and other handheld digital devices that display images and animations, because the keypad restricts the display screen size.
A conventional handwriting pad on the back of handheld digital devices can reduce the number of front key buttons, allowing a larger display screen on the front. However this has disadvantages as mentioned above. A better approach is needed to miniaturize a PDA while making the display as large as possible.

Fingertip tactile-sense input device and personal digital assistant using it


This disclosure describes a flyback converter with a series-parallel mode (SPM) active clamp. The active clamp, coupled in parallel with the primary coil, may include a clamp switch, two or more snubber capacitors, and associated diodes. The active clamp may be configured to absorb and retain the leakage energy from the leakage inductance of the flyback converter. The clamp switch may be turned on selectively as the primary switch approaches one of a plurality peak values to adjust frequencies of the switching devices. With the active clamp circuit, the flyback converter may first re-capture the leakage energy in the active clamp circuit and then recover it back to the power source.

Flyback converters are commonly used as isolated power supplies for electronic devices. For example, a flyback converter typically includes two coils that are electromagnetically coupled with each other, like primary and secondary windings of a transformer. The primary coil is coupled to an input circuit/power source, and the secondary coil is coupled to an output circuit/load, thus providing desired isolation between the input and output. By controlling a flow of current through the primary coil using a primary switch, a flyback converter may produce a regulated output voltage of a desired target value at the output.
The primary and secondary coils may have parasitic leakage inductances that also capture energy ("leakage energy"). The leakage inductances may cause additional losses unless the energy stored therein is recovered. Thus, some form of leakage energy recovery circuitry may be included in a flyback converter. Additionally, a drive toward miniaturization and portability in the consumer electronic industry pushes such power converters to be packaged in smaller and smaller volumes. Simply decreasing the size and/or component count, however, typically makes it harder to achieve a desired level of efficiency, because operations at high switching frequencies that can facilitate miniaturization may otherwise negatively affect efficiency. Thus, what is needed is a flyback converter adapted to recover the leakage energy to improve efficiency that also provides flexibility to avoid operating at unnecessarily high frequencies.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Control of series-parallel mode (SPM) clamped flyback converter


A weather strip allowing the opening and closing operations of the window glass in a door of automobile to be performed is formed by a base portion made of a hard synthetic resin, a support portion made of a soft synthetic resin and a contacting band layer comprising two synthetic resins of different melting points, of which powder or particles of the synthetic resin of a high melting point are mixed with the synthetic resin of a low melting point. The contacting band layers are provided on the portions of the base portion and support portion where the window glass abuts. The contacting band layer is formed by extrusion simultaneously with the extrusion of the base portion and support portion, whereby a rough face is integrally formed on the surface of the contacting band layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a weather strip for the window glass of an automobile which enables the window glass to be lightly and smoothly opened and closed in a door of the automobile and to surely prevent the intrusion of rain water through the window.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, this type of window glass in the door of an automobile is opened and closed often for ventilation of a compartment of the automobile. Consequently, the operation of opening and closing the window glass should be conducted in a very light way, and the window glass needs to be water tight.
Thus, in order to lightly and smoothly open and close the window glass, the conventionally known weather strip for the window glass of an automobile is generally formed by a soft synthetic resin or synthetic rubber. Further, it is known that the weather strip for a window glass is provided with a fiber nap such as a nylon nap on the contact surface where the window glass abuts. There exists also a conventional weather strip for the window glass in which a fluorine synthetic resin tape including molybdenum is attached by adhesives to the contact surface where the window glass abuts.
However, the conventional weather strip produced by a soft component such as synthetic resin or synthetic rubber has the drawback of an inconvenient opening and closing operation as well as difficulty in rigidly securing it to a door panel, as the open and close operation is heavy and a large force is loaded on the window glass for a strong pressure at the time of the opening and closing operation of the window glass, although the weather strip is tightly pressed against the window glass and has excellent of water tightness.
Furthermore, the known weather strip that is provided with the fiber nap such as a nylon nap on the contact surface where the window glass abuts is suitable for the contact and separation conditions with and from the window glass. The window can be easily operated to smoothly open and close the window glass, but the fiber napping process is very complicated, and after numerous uses, the implanted fiber nap is easily removed or worn away, wherein rain water intrudes into the compartment of the automobile.
The known weather strip having the synthetic resin tape has a drawback in that it needs a complicated process to coat the adhesive in order to attach the synthetic resin tape with the adhesive and complicated work to attach the tape inside the weather strip into which the window glass is inserted and on portions such as a curved surface and a corner surface.

Weather strip for the window glass of an automobile


An ultra-low temperature magnetic polishing machine includes a housing defining therein a grinding chamber, a door hinged to the housing and controllable to open/close the grinding chamber, a motor mounted inside the housing below the grinding chamber, a magnetic disc set in between the grinding chamber and the motor and rotatable by the motor to cause an alternative magnetic field in the grinding chamber, a freezer having an output pipeline inserted into the grinding chamber and freezing medium deliverable through the output pipeline into the grinding chamber, a container set in the grinding chamber, and magnetically conductive grinding media put in the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetic grinding technology and more particularly, to an ultra-low temperature magnetic polishing machine, which uses magnetically conductive grinding media to impact the workpiece and to further remove burrs from the workpiece and polish the workpiece after lowering the temperature of the workpiece.
2. Description of the Related Art
Regular grinding devices commonly use grinding media, such as aluminum oxide balls, glass balls or plastic balls to impact the workpiece, achieving the desired polishing effect. During impact between the grinding media and the workpiece, particles will be produced to pollute the surroundings. To avoid this problem, magnetic polishing machines are developed. A conventional magnetic polishing machine is known comprising a workpiece chamber and magnetically conductive stainless steel needles. During operation, the magnetically conductive stainless steel needles and the workpiece are put in the workpiece chamber, and then a motor is started up to rotate a magnetic disc that carries multiple permanent magnets. During rotation of the magnetic disc, an alternative magnetic field is induced, causing movement of the magnetically conductive stainless steel needles in the workpiece chamber, and therefore the magnetically conductive stainless steel needles are forced to impact the workpiece, thereby removing burrs from the workpiece and polishing the workpiece. The magnetically conductive stainless steel needles have different mechanical properties when compared to aluminum oxide balls or plastic balls. Therefore, a less amount of particles will be produced when polishing the workpiece.
However, the aforesaid method of using magnetically conductive stainless steel needles to impact the workpiece for removing burrs from the workpiece and polishing the workpiece is not applicable for the processing of flexible materials. When polishing a flexible workpiece, such as rubber, plastics or silicon rubber, the flexible workpiece will be elastically deformed when impacted by the magnetically conductive stainless steel needles, losing the effects of polishing.

Ultra-low temperature magnetic polishing machine


A pump monitoring system includes a monitoring device configured for attachment to a cable harness of a pump, a strain gauge configured to measure dynamic loading of at least one cable of the cable harness as the pump operates, a wireless transmitter configured to transmit the dynamic loading measurement, and an external device configured to receive the transmitted dynamic loading measurement.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally pumping systems. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for monitoring dynamic loading of beam pumps.
Oil frequently is extracted from the ground using a beam pump. The dynamic stress on the rod connecting the oscillating beam, down the well to the lifting pump, can provide much information about the health and status of the pump. Stress on this rod is frequently measured by one or more strain gauges on the rod or on the beam. One example of such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,058, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. A difficulty with these measurement techniques is the temperature sensitivity of the materials to which the device is attached and how this affects the small signal measured by a strain gauge. Embodiment of the present invention address this and other issues.

Beam pump dynamic load monitoring and methods


Camshaft adjusters which work in accordance with the operating principle of a hydraulic oscillating motor comprise at least two components arranged parallel to one another. Frequently, the two components are a covering plate and a stator. The two components are connected by fasteners which penetrate through one of the two components. At least one of the fasteners is equipped with a central, deformable pin which, in the obstructed state, impedes the nondestructive separation of the two components arranged parallel to one another.

The invention relates to a fastener which is suitable for holding together camshaft adjusters. The invention furthermore relates to a camshaft adjuster.
Camshaft adjusters are motors which, on rotating about a central axis, can change the position of a camshaft connected to them, i.e. rotate the camshaft through an angle. Camshaft adjusters exist in various embodiments, as electric motors, as hydraulic motors and as mechanical gear transmissions. Camshaft adjusters which work on the hydraulic basis of an oscillating motor are widespread. Owing to the hydraulic pressure between two components movable relative to one another, e.g. a rotor and a stator, the camshaft can be rotated in its position with respect to a further shaft, such as, for example, a crankshaft or a second camshaft. The oscillating motor swivels the camshaft between an advanced position and a retarded position, each of which is assigned a relative adjustment angle with respect to the second shaft. Such camshaft adjusters have the form of a vane-type motor.
The components movable relative to one another, i.e. the stator and rotor, form one or more hydraulic chambers which can be tightly closed off hydraulically from the environment by a further component, such as, for example, a cover or a toothed wheel or a chain wheel, so that oil can be led into the chambers only via defined inlets and outlets, lines or ducts.
Depending on the configuration, the compact camshaft adjuster which is sealed off from the outside, except for the inlet and outlet lines, still has numerous other components, such as, for example, one or more springs, a locking pin and many other components.
It can be gathered, from DE 197 56 015 A1 for example, what the structure of a suitable camshaft adjuster looks like, the latter having an annular piston for fixing the rotational position. A somewhat different structure can be gathered from DE 102 53 883 A1, in which, inter alia, a locking element in the proposed camshaft adjuster is described. From DE 10 2004 012 460 it can be learnt how a spiral spring can be arranged in a camshaft adjuster in order to implement a locking characteristic. The smooth running of the rotor can be influenced by further special measures. All the described camshaft adjusters with their individual components and embodiments are incorporated in the patent application for reasons of simplification by these references.
It is therefore evident that it is in the interest of people who modify engines and get power reserves from the engines by tampering with the engine control (so-called tuners) to know the exact structure of a camshaft adjuster and to permanently manipulate the behavior of the camshaft adjuster and thus the entire engine by fitting other, similarly acting replacement components. The modifications and manipulations shorten the service life of the engine. Despite the tampering, claims of recourse are then frequently made to the manufacturers of motor vehicles and through them to the manufacturers of camshaft adjusters. It is frequently difficult for the manufacturer of a camshaft adjuster to reliably prove the manipulations.

Camshaft adjuster having a means for securing against modification


A light-emitting device (100) is disclosed. The light-emitting device (100) comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements (135) or light sources and a power module (120) adapted to selectively convey, supply or provide electrical power to the light-emitting elements (135). The power module (120) may be dimensioned such as to be able to power only a proper subset of the light-emitting elements (135) of the light-emitting device (100) at a given time, the subset having a maximum number of light-emitting elements (135) included therein with respect to the number of light-emitting elements (135) included in the all subsets of the light-emitting elements (135) of the light-emitting device (100). The plurality of sets of light-emitting elements (135) may be arranged so as to emit light over a light emission area, and the plurality of sets of light-emitting elements (135) may be arranged relatively to each other such that different sets of light-emitting elements (135) emit light over different portions of the light emission area.

A photo-therapy device generally comprises a light-emitting device including e.g. one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or a laser for causing a light induced effect e.g. on a skin area of a subject that is treated, by illuminating or irradiating the skin area with light emitted from the light-emitting device. Effectiveness of such treatment may at least partly depend on the amplitude of the light output or irradiance. For practical and functional reasons, it is often desired in photo-therapy devices to have a light-emitting device that emits light in a pulsed manner.
A light-emitting device of a photo-therapy device generally comprises a power supply and a current driver for driving the light source or light sources of the light-emitting device. Such a current driver may be relatively expensive, which adds to the manufacturing costs of the light-emitting device, and hence to the manufacturing costs of the photo-therapy device. It would be desirable to be able to reduce the manufacturing costs of such light-emitting devices.
WO2009/59270A1 discloses a light-emitting device for treating skin. The light-emitting device is composed of two units, one which contains a power module and one which produces light. One power unit can be used to power multiple light units. The device may be composed of multiple light units which can operate at the same time or independently.
For LED-based photo-therapy devices, about one third of the power dissipated in the LED or LEDs may be converted to light with the remainder of the power dissipated in the LED or LEDs being converted to heat. The fraction of power dissipated in a LED that is converted to light may depend on luminous efficacy of the LED, heat management in the photo-therapy device, etc. In particular for a portable photo-therapy device, the photo-therapy device may have a limited battery capacity, thereby limiting the available operating time of the photo-therapy device before its battery or batteries have to be recharged or replaced. Particularly for LED-based photo-therapy devices intended for application close to the skin of a subject, the heat generated by power dissipated in the LED or LEDs being converted to heat may conduct or transfer to the skin and may result in an excessive heat load on the skin, which may lead to overheating, e.g. the skin temperature at some position in the skin exceeding some threshold temperature value. The heat load is spread in the subject's body from the portion of the skin that is illuminated or irradiated by the photo-therapy device by means of blood flow in the body. A way of protecting the skin from overheating or eliminating or lessening the risk of the skin overheating as a result of operation of a LED-based photo-therapy device close to the skin is desired.
A photo-therapy device may generate a relatively high degree of illumination or irradiation, or "dose" of illumination or irradiation, which for example may be expressed in terms of irradiation energy per unit area of skin. There may be restrictions on the magnitude of the allowed daily dose of illumination. By operation of the photo-therapy device, the allowed daily dose may be reached in a relatively short treatment time. It would be desirable to be able to prolong the treatment time while at the same time following restrictions on the magnitude of the allowed daily dose of illumination.

Light-emitting device and photo-therapy device comprising a light-emitting device


A duplex printer receives image data for both odd and even pages, prints the image data for odd pages on one side of each sheet of a stack of sheets, reverses and stores the stack of sheets, and prints the image data for the even pages on the other side of the sheets of the stack of sheets.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a duplex print apparatus designed to receive image data from a data processor such as a host computer or the like to print on both sides by means of a printer having a paper refeed stacker.
2. Description of Related Art
A laser printer is designed to form a latent image by picture elements on a photosensitive drum by way of a laser beam which is deflected by a polygon mirror rotating at high speed to obtain a visible image by toner developing and to fix it after transferring it onto a usual paper. Since fast modulation of the laser beam is possible, fast and high-quality (high-density) printing and graphic recording can be realized. Therefore, the laser printer is widely used as an output device of various data processing systems and image processing systems utilizing computers.
Meanwhile, in order to make good use of filing spaces and to save paper costs in conducting office work, a demand for duplex printing where the printing or copying can be made on both sides of the paper is becoming stronger. A most simple way to print on both sides of the paper by the laser printer is, for example, to print a first page on one side of the paper being fed, thereafter the paper is reversed in a paper circulation path in the laser printer so that a second page is printed on the reversed side of the same paper. In this method, however, since the circulation path becomes extremely longer as compared with the paper, it takes time to reverse the paper, thus requiring longer printing time.
For solving such a problem, it has been proposed to make the circulation path possible to pass a plurality of sheets, e.g. 3 sheets at a time, and to print first, third and fifth page successively on one side of each sheet, then to print second, fourth and sixth page successively on the other side of each reversed sheet. However, the number of papers present in the circulation path changes dependent on each printer, and even in the same printer, processing time of a character/picture processor for controlling the print portion changes dependent on contents to be processed, thereby the number of papers in the circulation path is also changed. Since printing conditions are changed dependent on each printer and its using condition as such, it is very complicated or practically impossible to control the sequence of pages of the image data transferred, on the host computer side.
Likewise, though it may be considered to transfer the image data in order from the host computer side and temporarily storing the data to be printed on the rear side of the paper on the printer side, in such a method, an image memory for several pages is required on the printer side, resulting in a high printer cost.


A first member and a second member constituting flow passage member are joined at a first joining region that surrounds the periphery of a liquid flow passage and a second joining region that is further to the outside than the first joining region, and in a state where the second joining region has a gas barrier property higher than that of the first joining region, the second joining region seals a gap between the first member and the second member, wherein the liquid ejecting head includes a communication hole that communicates a space between the first member and the second member with the outside, which is surrounded by the first joining region and the second joining region.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects the liquid, and specifically to an ink jet type recording head and an ink jet type recording apparatus which ejects ink.
2. Related Art
In an ink jet type recording head that is a representative example of a liquid ejecting head, generally, the ink is supplied from a storage unit such as an ink cartridge where the ink is filled to a head main body, and a pressure generation unit such as a piezoelectric element or a heating element is driven so that the ink supplied to the head main body is ejected from nozzles.
The above-described ink jet type recording head includes a flow passage member in which a liquid flow passage connecting a storage unit and a head main body is formed. A structure of the flow passage member is suggested in various ways, and for example, a structure where a liquid flow passage is defined by a plurality of members joined with the adhesive (for example, JP-A-2002-178541).
As an adhesive joining a plurality of members configuring the flow passage member, it is preferable to use an adhesive having high bonding strength. However, even though the adhesive has high bonding strength, if gas permeability is high (if gas barrier property is low), there is a concern of gas (air) penetrating from the outside into a liquid flow passage and conversely there is also a concern of the liquid (the fluid) penetrating into the liquid flow passage.
In addition, such problems are not limited to an ink jet type recording head, and are also similarly present in a liquid ejecting head ejecting a liquid other than ink.

Liquid ejecting head and liquid ejecting apparatus


A semiconductor device includes a first insulating layer, a semiconductor layer formed on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer on a part of the semiconductor layer, and a gate electrode formed on the semiconductor layer through the second insulating layer. The semiconductor layer includes a low concentration region formed under the gate electrode through the second insulating layer, two high concentration regions which are formed in at least upper regions on outer sides of the low concentration region under the gate electrode through the second insulating layer, and have an impurity concentration higher than an impurity concentration of the low concentration region, respectively, and two source/drain regions which are formed in side portions of the high concentration regions to have low concentration region side end portions, respectively. A width of the high concentration region is equal to or less than 30 nm.

An SOI substrate is known as a semiconductor substrate in which an insulating film (an oxide film in many cases) is formed on a substrate and a semiconductor layer (a silicon layer) is formed on it. In a MOSFET to which such an SOI substrate is applied, because the insulating film is formed under a source region and a drain region, a parasitic capacitance can be made smaller compared with a case of a usual bulk substrate in which the SOI layer is not used. As a result, the SOI substrate is superior in high speed operation of the device and it has been widely used.
Generally, the MOSFETs using the SOI substrate is grouped into a fully depleted SOI-MOSFET in which the SOI layer below the gate is depleted and a partially depleted SOI-MOSFET in which the SOI layer is not fully depleted so that a neutral region is left. The partially depleted SOI-MOSFET has an advantage that it can be manufactured by a manufacturing method in which a process for a bulk substrate is used. However, because the neutral region which is electrically separated from the substrate is left, the potential of the neutral region changes depending on an operation condition and operation current changes, namely, so-called floating body effect is caused. For this reason, circuit design becomes difficult.
On the other hand, because there is not an neutral region in the fully depleted SOI-MOSFET, the potential under the channel does not change and there is an advantage that the circuit operation is stable.. However, in the full depleted transistor, unless the SOI layer is made extremely thin, the characteristic degradation of the device is easy to be caused due to punch-through and short channel effects, compared with the partially depleted SOI transistor.
A measure to the characteristic degradation is proposed in which Halo regions where a channel impurity concentration is high are formed on both sides of the channel region. Such a conventional technique is known in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 9-293871). FIGS. 1 and 2 show such a semiconductor device.
Referring to FIG. 1, SD (source and drain) regions 103 are formed in the SOI substrate in which a buried insulating film 102 of an oxide film is formed on a base substrate 101 of silicon and a semiconductor layer is formed on the buried insulating film 102. A low concentration region 104 for a channel region and the Halo implantation regions 105 are formed in the region, and a gate insulating film 106, a gate electrode 107, side wall insulating films 108 are formed. Especially, the Halo implantation region 105 has an impurity density profile of the shape shown in FIG. 2 in a lateral direction. The setting of the Halo region with such a high impurity density profile is excellent to restrain the floating body effect.
The profile N(x) of the Halo region 105 of such a conventional semiconductor device in the lateral direction is expressed by the following equation.N(x) =N0+NB0·|exp(−[η·(x−L/2]g)+exp(−[η·(x+L/2]g)|When η is in a range from 8 to 20 or the concentration inclination in the lateral direction is in 3−8×1022 cm−4, the current gain hfe of a parasitic bipolar transistor formed by the SD regions 103 and the low concentration region 104 can be reduced. In addition to the restraint of the short channel effect, the fine and stable operation becomes possible.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the spreading of the impurity distribution from the peak into the lateral direction is about 0.1 μm. When a device is formed to have a gate length of a sub half micron range, the tails of the impurity profiles from both sides overlap and the Halo structure cannot be formed to have high concentration regions on both sides.
If the tails of the impurity profiles from both sides overlap, the impurity concentration in the center portion of the channel region rises, so that the partially depleted SOI-MOSFET operation is easy to be carried out. That is, the fully depleted MOSFET operation becomes difficult. It is demanded that the technique which restrains the floating body effect is established and the technique is different from the conventional method of setting a concentration inclination (a range of η from 8 to 20 or the concentration inclination in the lateral direction is 3−8×1022 cm−4) in accordance with the principle of the conventional example.
Conventionally, the SOI-MOSFETs having various Halo regions are proposed. However, they does not described the effective knowledge to form ideal impurity distribution nor suggests what impurity distribution is proper. Because the gate oxide film becomes thin if the miniaturization of the transistor proceeds, the channel impurity concentration increases to get a necessary threshold voltage. With the increase, the minimum potential decreases so that it is easy to carry out the partially depleted SOI-MOSFET operation. In case of the N-channel transistor, the minimum potential decreases, in case of the P-channel transistor, the maximum potential increases. Thus, the same problem is caused in the N-channel transistor and the P-channel transistor. Hereinafter, the N-channel transistor will be described in this description as long as special notation is necessary. However, it could be understood to the person in the art that the same thing can be applied to the P-channel transistor. In the channel concentration in which the fully depleted MOSFET operation is carried out, it is known that the threshold voltage decreases, and a measure to it is needed.
In conjunction with the above description, an SOI transistor is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 9-45919). In this conventional example, the transistor is composed of a semiconductor substrate, a buried insulating layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor layer section, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode layer, and a channel region. The semiconductor layer section is arranged on the buried insulating layer and is composed of a top surface, a bottom surface contacting the buried insulating layer, a source region and a drain region. The gate insulating layer is arranged on the top surface of the semiconductor layer section between the source region and the drain region. The gate electrode layer is arranged on the gate insulating layer. The channel region is arranged on the buried insulating layer under the gate insulating layer and is arranged at the semiconductor layer section between the source region and the drain region. The channel region has a top dopant concentration in correspondence to the top surface of the semiconductor layer section, and a bottom dopant concentration in correspondence to the bottom surface of the semiconductor layer section. Here, the top dopant concentration is higher than the bottom dopant concentration.
Also, a silicon semiconductor transistor having a Halo implantation region is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 10-4198). In this conventional example, the transistor is composed of an insulating layer, and a semiconductor mesa which includes a first surface in contact with the insulating layer and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The semiconductor mesa is composed of a first source/drain region of a first conductive type, a second source/drain region of the first conductive type, a body region, and an implantation region. The body region has a first dopant level of a second conductive type, contacts the insulating layer, extends to the second surface of the mesa and is arranged between the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region. The implantation region is arranged between the first source/drain region and the body region to separate the first source/drain region from the body region. Also, the implantation region is of a second conductive type and has a dopant level which is substantively equal to or higher than the first dopant level.
Also, a semiconductor device is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 11-204783. In this conventional example, in the semiconductor device includes a MIS-type electric field effect-type transistor. A region where halogen elements or halogen ions such as fluorine and chlorine exist is provided in at least one of a surface region and an inside region of the active region of the MIS-type electric field effect-type transistor of the semiconductor substrate.
Also, a field effect transistor is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-P 2000-349295). In this conventional example, the field effect transistor is composed of a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode, a source region and a drain region of a first conductive type. An element formation semiconductor layer is covered with an insulator at the bottom at least. A gate electrode is provided on the gate insulating film which is formed on the semiconductor layer. The source region and the drain region of the first conductive type are formed in the semiconductor layer on both sides of the gate electrode. A position where the second conductive type impurity concentration is maximum in the semiconductor layer under the gate electrode is nearer to the semiconductor layer surface than a maximum depth of an inverted layer in the neighborhood of the semiconductor layer surface when the gate electrode is supplied with a voltage larger than a threshold voltage. Also, the second conductive type impurity concentration is monotonously decreased from the maximum depth of the inverted layer toward a boundary between the semiconductor layer and the insulator.

SOI semiconductor device with improved halo region and manufacturing method of the same


This document discusses, among other things, a system and method for generating a stimulation energy to provide His-bundle stimulation for a cardiac cycle, receiving electrical information from the heart over at least a portion of the cardiac cycle, determining a characteristic of at least a portion of the received electrical information for the cardiac cycle, and classifying the cardiac cycle using the determined characteristic.

A medical device can be implanted in a body to perform one or more tasks including monitoring, detecting, or sensing physiological information in or otherwise associated with the body, diagnosing a physiological condition or disease, treating or providing a therapy for a physiological condition or disease, or restoring or otherwise altering the function of an organ or a tissue. Examples of an implantable medical device can include a cardiac rhythm management device, such as a pacemaker, a cardiac resynchronization therapy device, a cardioverter or defibrillator, a neurological stimulator, a neuromuscular stimulator, or a drug delivery system.
In various examples, cardiac rhythm or function management devices can sense intrinsic heart contractions, deliver pacing pulses to evoke responsive heart contractions, or deliver a shock to interrupt certain arrhythmias. In certain examples, one or more of these functions can help improve a patient's heart rhythm or can help coordinate a spatial nature of a heart contraction, either of which can improve cardiac output of blood to help meet the patient's metabolic need for such cardiac output.

His-bundle capture verification and monitoring


A smooth impact drive mechanism utilizing an electromechanical conversion element, in which a preheating voltage to preheat the electromechanical conversion element is impressed thereto before the impression of a drive voltage to the electromechanical conversion element, in order to realize stable drive characteristics by reducing fluctuation in the speed of the moving unit. In addition, drive parameters are changed in accordance with the temperature of the electromechanical conversion element. Furthermore, drive parameters are changed in accordance with the moving speed of the moving unit.

This application is based on application No. JP 2000-274814 filed in Japan, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved smooth impact drive mechanism (SIDM) that utilizes an electromechanical conversion element such as a piezoelectric element, and more particularly, to a smooth impact drive mechanism having improved stability. It further relates to an improved smooth impact drive mechanism that is capable of stable driving regardless of changes in the ambient environment such as changes in temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a drive mechanism that utilizes an electromechanical conversion element such as a piezoelectric element that changes in length (i.e., extends and contracts) when the element is impressed with a voltage, a device such as that shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1(a), which shows the device in a disassembled fashion, and in the perspective view of FIG. 1(b), which shows the device in an assembled fashion, is known, for example.
This drive mechanism is capable of moving the moving unit 10 relative to the support platform 1, and may be used as the drive mechanism for the lens of a camera, for example. In other words, if the moving unit 10 is connected to the lens holder, the lens held in the lens holder may be moved together with the moving unit 10.
The piezoelectric element 4 comprises a number of piezoelectric plates stacked together. One end 4a of its length is fixed to the support platform 1, while the other end 4b is fixed to one end 5a of the rod (vibration member) 5. The rod is movably supported by the support members 2 and 3 that are integrally formed on the support platform 1.
The moving unit 10 incorporates the rod 5 using the main body 11 and cap 12 thereof, and by applying a downward force to the main body 11 and cap 12 using the pressure spring 13, the moving unit 10 becomes frictionally engaged around the rod 5.
To the piezoelectric element 4 is connected a voltage control circuit (drive circuit) not shown in the drawings. When a pulse voltage, which may be expressed as a sawtooth waveform as shown in FIG. 2, is continuously impressed to the piezoelectric element 4, the piezoelectric element 4 vibrates, i.e., extends and contracts, and the rod 5 vibrates along its length based on the movements of the piezoelectric element 4. Specifically, the piezoelectric element 4 extends relatively slowly at the gentle rising edge 101 of the first waveform 100, so that the rod 5 slowly moves in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1(b). When the voltage is suddenly dropped (as represented by the waveform portion indicated by the falling edge 102), the piezoelectric element 4 rapidly contracts and returns to its original length, whereupon the rod 5 rapidly moves in the direction of the arrow B.
Where the voltage is continuously applied such that identical waves 100, 100xe2x80x2, . . . are repeated, the rod 5 continues to vibrate while it repeats the slow movement in the direction A and the rapid movement in the direction B. In other words, the rod 5 vibrates while drawing a vibration waveform with gentle and steep portions. Here the spring force of the pressure spring 13 of the moving unit 10 (i.e., the frictional engagement of the moving unit 10 with the rod 5) is adjusted such that the moving unit 10 moves together with the rod 5 when the rod 5 moves slowly, and remains stationary (or moves over a smaller distance than the rod 5) due to inertia when the rod 5 moves rapidly. Therefore, while the rod 5 vibrates, the moving unit 10 moves in the direction A relative to the support platform 1.
Where the moving unit 10 is to be moved in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 1(b), the pulse waveform of the voltage impressed to the piezoelectric element should be replaced with the one that is shown in FIG. 2 and that includes sharp rising edges and gentle falling edges. The principle of the movement of the moving unit 10 is the same as in the case explained above.
Incidentally, in a drive mechanism that utilizes an electromechanical conversion element, even if the drive waveform is unchanged, the moving speed of the moving unit may change based on the temperature of the electromechanical conversion element. FIG. 3 explains this nature, and shows that the moving speed of the moving unit increases as the temperature rises. In other words, because when driven continuously the temperature of the electromechanical conversion element increases as the time passes, its drive characteristics change over time.
The cause of the characteristic change shown in FIG. 3 may be fluctuation in the capacity of the electromechanical conversion element that occurs with a change in temperature. As shown in FIG. 4, the capacity declines as the temperature falls. Because the generated force of the electromechanical conversion element is proportional to the product of the capacity and size of the element, as the capacity declines, the generated force also declines, and as a result, the moving speed of the moving unit is reduced. xe2x80x98Capacityxe2x80x99 is the potential energy of the electromechanical conversion element, and is proportional to the dielectric constant of the element. Because the dielectric constant declines as the temperature declines, the capacity also declines as a result.
The present invention was created in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an improved smooth impact drive mechanism that utilizes an electromechanical conversion element, and more particularly, to provide improved stability. Another object of the present invention is to make improvement such that stable driving may be ensured regardless of changes in the ambient environment such as the temperature, i.e., to reduce fluctuation in the drive characteristics over time.
In order to attain these and other objects, the smooth impact drive mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention has a support platform, an electromechanical conversion element that is fixed to the support platform via one end thereof, a vibration member that is fixed to the other end of the electromechanical conversion element, a moving unit that is engaged with the vibration member using a prescribed frictional force, and a controller that controls the electromechanical conversion element and causes the moving unit to move relative to the support platform by causing the electromechanical conversion element to vibrate at different speeds depending on the direction of the vibration member, i.e., in the direction of extension or the direction of contraction, wherein the controller preheats the electromechanical conversion element before performing driving to move the moving unit. As one method of preheating, the controller impresses a preheating voltage to the electromechanical conversion element. The voltage impressed for the purpose of preheating has a drive waveform that does not as a practical matter move the moving unit. One specific example of such a drive waveform includes rising edges and falling edges that have the same angle of slant.
As described above, in general the characteristics of electromechanical conversion elements such as piezoelectric elements change in accordance with the temperature, such that the speed of the moving unit declines as the temperature declines. In the smooth impact drive mechanism of the present invention having the above construction, the electromechanical conversion element is preheated before the moving unit is actually driven, and therefore fluctuation in the speed of the moving unit may be reduced as a result, enabling the realization of stable drive characteristics with little speed fluctuation due to temperature change.
The smooth impact drive mechanism according to another aspect of the present invention has a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the electromechanical conversion element, and the controller changes the drive waveform by which the electromechanical conversion element is driven in accordance with the output from the temperature sensor. As a specific example, the controller impresses the electromechanical conversion element with a voltage to preheat it until the output from the temperature sensor reaches a prescribed value. Alternatively, the controller impresses a preheating voltage for a prescribed period of time depending on the output from the temperature sensor at the time of startup of the device that incorporates the drive mechanism of the present invention. As another specific example, where the output from the temperature sensor is lower than the prescribed value, the controller increases the amplitude of the drive voltage or the drive frequency, and where the output from the temperature sensor equals or is higher than the prescribed value, the controller reduces the amplitude of the drive voltage or the drive frequency.
The smooth impact drive mechanism according to yet another aspect of the present invention has a speed sensor that detects the moving speed of the moving unit, and the controller changes the drive waveform by which the electromechanical conversion element is driven in accordance with the output from the speed sensor. As a specific example, where the moving speed of the moving unit, which is indicated by the output from the speed sensor, is lower than the prescribed value, the controller increases the amplitude of the drive voltage or the drive frequency, and where the moving speed equals or is higher than the prescribed value, the controller reduces the amplitude of the drive voltage or the drive frequency.
Using the above construction, the smooth impact drive mechanism can drive the moving unit at a stable speed despite such disturbances as fluctuations in temperature, etc.


The present invention provides a board game wherein players compete to uncover tiles and board sections in an order that matches a drawn card. The game includes a game board, player pieces, tiles, and sequence cards. The object of the game is to advance through several levels of play by matching uncovered indicia to that of the sequence cards while avoiding penalty indicia.

The present invention relates generally to games played by multiple players. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for playing a sequence based guessing game for multiple players.
The object of the game is for players to move a game piece from a starting position to an ending position, with forward and backward moves controlled by the results of turning over one card out of a first group of cards, and several cards out of a second group of cards. The game is turn based and each player begins the game with a game piece at a fixed number of moves away from the winning end position. Players take turns until one player has reached the winning end position.
The advantages of the present invention will be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.


Described herein are systems and methods for dynamic project management and capacity management. Specifically, the systems and method include a management tool for performing project management, capacity management, and time and cost creation across systems and departments for the lowest levels of data. The management tool include a computer readable storage medium including a set of instructions that are executable by a processor, the set of instructions being operable to store projected time information and projected cost information for a project, store actual time information and actual cost information for the project, and display a correlation between i) the projected time information and actual time information, and ii) the projected cost information and the actual cost information.

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources in order to achieve a successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. A project may be described as a finite endeavor, having specific start and completion dates undertaken, to create a unique product or service that brings about beneficial change or added value. This finite characteristic of projects sets projects apart from business operations, which may be described as permanent or semi-permanent functional work to continuously produce the same product or service. In practice, the management of both projects and business operations systems is often found to be quite different, and as such requires the development of distinct technical skills and the adoption of separate management philosophies.
The primary focus of any project management system is to achieve each of the project goals and objectives while adhering to typical project constraints, such as scope, quality, capacity, time and budget. A secondary focus would be to optimize the allocation and integration of inputs necessary to meet pre-defined objectives. A project may include a carefully defined set of activities that use resources (e.g., money, people, materials, energy, space, provisions, communication, motivation, etc.) required to achieve the project goals and objectives.
Project management is typically the function and responsibility of an individual project manager. While the project manager seldom participates directly in the activities that produce the end result, he or she strives to maintain the progress and productive interaction of various parties in such a way to reduce the overall risk of failure. A competent project manager must be able to envision the entire project from start to finish and to have the ability to ensure that the project is realized. Regardless of the type of product or service, whether it is telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing construction, computer software, financial services, the project manager may oversee the implementation of the project, as well as the operations of the project.
With large volumes of work and projects, organizations quickly become disorganized. The currently available corporate tools cannot support the level of granularity needed to effectively manage this work. There are inconsistencies in the process individuals use to create time and cost estimates, which results in estimates being so uniquely tailored that there is no rollup of data that can provide a project manager with meaningful information. The inability to accurately track critical project data creates a myriad of data integrity issues, insert/deletion anomalies, multi-user issues, data corruption, and individual field deadlocks. The end result of the inefficient tracking is inconsistent data and poor decision making abilities, which, in many cases, will lead to project mismanagement.

Method and system for dynamic project management and capacity management


A method includes determining at least one time interval for an access node of a group of neighboring access nodes. The at least one time interval is one in which said access node has substantially no transmission and one or more other access nodes of said group transmit. The method further includes performing, by said access node, radio measurements in said at least one determined time interval of said one or more other access nodes of said group which transmit and configuring radio resources in dependence on said radio measurements.

A communication system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities such as mobile communication devices and/or other stations associated with the communication system. A communication system and a compatible communication device typically operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various entities associated with the system are permitted to do and how that should be achieved. For example, the standard or specification may define if a communication device is provided with a circuit switched carrier service or a packet switched carrier service or both. Communication protocols and/or parameters which shall be used for the connection are also typically defined. For example, the manner how the communication device can access the communication system and how communication shall be implemented between communicating devices, the elements of the communication network and/or other communication devices is typically based on predefined communication protocols.
In a wireless communication system at least a part of the communication between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless systems include public land mobile networks (PLMN), satellite based communication systems and different wireless local networks, for example wireless local area networks (WLAN). The wireless systems can be divided into cells, and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.
A user can access the communication system by means of an appropriate communication device. A communication device of a user is often referred to as user equipment (UE). A communication device is provided with an appropriate signal receiving and transmitting arrangement for enabling communications with other parties. Typically a communication device is used for enabling the users thereof to receive and transmit communications such as speech and data. In wireless systems, a communication device provides a transceiver station that can communicate with e.g. a base station of an access network servicing at least one cell and/or another communications device. Depending on the context, a communication device or user equipment may also be considered as being a part of a communication system. In certain applications, for example in ad-hoc networks, the communication system can be based on use of a plurality of user equipment capable of communicating with each other.
The communication may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and so on. Users may thus be offered and provided numerous services via their communication devices. Non-limiting examples of these services include two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services or simply an access to a data communications network system, such as the Internet. The user may also be provided broadcast or multicast content. Non-limiting examples of the content include downloads, television and radio programs, videos, advertisements, various alerts and other information.
3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is standardizing an architecture that is known as the long-term evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio-access technology. A further development of the LTE is referred to herein as LTE-Advanced.
In the LTE system, one of the base station classes is defined to comprise the so-called femto nodes. These femto nodes may also be referred to as home eNodeBs (HeNBs). These femto nodes are typically deployed in indoor environments, preferably in plug-and-play or self-organized network (SON) fashion and with access limitations so that only a configured group of subscribers is allowed to access a femto node. For example in residential deployment of a femto node typically family members are part of a configured subscriber group and other subscribers can not access the femto node.
In SON-based deployment of femto nodes, difficulties can arise if two neighbouring nodes, having been activated with a potentially configured subscriber group, end up with the same particular cell configuration. That can cause severe interference, and/or identity or resource conflicted scenarios between those nodes so that access and communication is not possible for subscribers in the vicinity of the nodes.

Method and apparatus for determining a time interval at an access node for radio measurements


A ribbed dowel for aligning workpieces is disclosed including a cylindrical body having an outer surface, a first end, and a second end, a plurality of ribs spaced over the outer surface, a round circular first face on the first end, a round circular second face on the second end, and wherein the ribbed dowel is composed of a material other than a polypropylene homopolymer having a density of 0.905 g/cm3, a melt flow rate of 60 g/10 min, a Rockwell hardness of 107, a Durometer hardness of 84, and a melting point of 330xc2x0 F.

The present invention relates generally to a dowel for aligning workpieces. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dowel to align two workpieces or a cabinet wall and a shelf of a cabinet in place, without an adhesive, using a friction fit.
The present invention is a dowel that is used to align two workpieces. Typically, a dowel is inserted into the openings of the two workpieces, previously glue or other adhesive or the friction fit of the dowel within the openings of the workpiece would hold the two workpieces together.
This present invention is an improved dowel with longitudinal ribs that is used to align two workpieces or a cabinet wall and a shelf of a cabinet in place, without an adhesive, using a friction fit. Previously, when adhesive was used, the workpieces could not be separated. This provides the advantage of having a knock-down capability, so that the workpieces can be disengaged or knocked down, when desired. Another advantage of the present invention is its improved latitude for tolerance variations providing a greater ability to adjust for missed tolerances, when the two workpieces are not exactly aligned. In a production line, drilling machines that make the openings to receive the dowels have a tolerance of plus or minus 0.5 mm to where the bore hole is located on the workpiece. When aligning two bores, to receive the same dowel, the error between the center lines of the bore holes can be as much as 1.0 mm, because of the errors in tolerance of the drilling machines in placement of the holes on each opposing workpiece.
In the present invention, the diameter of the bore hole in each workpiece is 0.270 inches. In the event the two workpieces are not aligned center to center, or the holes in each workpiece are not drilled in the right location, the dowel of the present invention can fit in both holes, when the centers of the holes are off as much as 0.070 inches (1.75 mm).
The adjustment the dowel can absorb is equal to twice the height of a rib of the dowel, which is 0.035 inches. This is because the ribs on both sides of the dowel are used, they represent an adjustment of twice 0.035 inches or 0.070 inches. The dowel of the present invention provides a method and apparatus to use a dowel in two workpieces, when the alignments of the bores of the two workpieces are off by as much as twice the height of the rib on the dowel. The rib height of the dowel is the distance from the base of the rib to the top of the rib.
The rib material is strong enough to carry substantial weight, but is soft enough to bend and shear. Specifically, the separation or shearing of the rib from the dowel only requires approximately ten (10) pounds of strength. The dowel is capable of supporting a load of approximately twenty (20) pounds.


Apparatus for providing a platform area in an attic having a plurality of generally parallel joists 4, the apparatus comprising a plurality of legs 33, each leg having a joist mounting 43 at one end and a platform support 45 at, or in the region of, the opposite end, and a plurality of boards 35, the apparatus being arranged, in use, to provide a raised platform over adjacent joists with boards mounted on legs connected to different joists.

Referring to FIG. 1, it is common to lag or insulate the attic or loft space of a building by laying an insulation material 2, usually a mineral wool, between the parallel joists 4. It is also known to add a further layer of insulation in the transverse direction to further reduce heat loss. A problem with adding this further layer is that it is no longer clear where the underlying joists are, and, therefore where it is safe to store items or walk on. Thus, there exists the danger that items and people could fall through the plasterboard between the joists.


A radio frequency (RF) identification system and method which rely on the presence or absence of unique frequency signals. The system includes an RF interrogator which transmits signals at a plurality of different frequencies and which receives first frequencies of the plurality of different frequencies from an item label, and a computer which determines second frequencies of the plurality of different frequencies which were not received by the RF interrogator, and which determines an item identification number from the first and second frequencies by assigning first values equal to a first binary value to first data bits occupying first data bit positions in the item identification number for the first frequencies and assigning second values equal to a second binary value to second data bits occupying second data bit positions in the item identification number for the second frequencies.

The present invention relates to checkout systems, and more specifically to a radio frequency identification (RFID) system and method.
RFID technology provides an alternative to bar code reader technology for distinguishing and recording items for purchase. RFID may result in labor savings to retailers, since it may obsolete conventional methods of identifying items.
Some of the uses of RFID technology are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,394 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. This patent is hereby incorporated by reference.
RFID systems generally include single bit systems, memory systems, and intelligent systems.
Single bit systems include single bit labels. A single bit label includes a tuned antenna. The antenna passively reflects a specific frequency RF signal and an RFID reader detects the reflected signal. The RFID label can signal only two states to the reader: xe2x80x9cRFID in the fieldxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cno RFID in the fieldxe2x80x9d. This type of label has been used on clothing security tags.
Memory systems include labels with an antenna and a memory. The memory stores information such as store name, article price, and purchase date. An RFID reader reads the information without having to get near the label. The RFID system may also add to the information on the chip. Power for the memory may be obtained from the RF signal itself.
Intelligent systems include labels with a memory, antenna, and computer. Intelligent labels can provide additional functionality helpful to a consumer. Power may be obtained from a battery or from the article, if it is powered. An electronic price label, such as the one manufactured by the assignee of the present invention, may act as an intelligent RFID label.
Generally speaking, increased functionality results in an increase in cost and complexity, with the single bit label being the least complex and least costly. Printed ink antennas have driven down the cost. These antennas are not only less costly than metal antennas, but they are also easier to apply to different types of materials.
Though inexpensive, single bit labels are not useful for distinguishing one item from another. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an RFID system and method, which is inexpensive yet, conveys item identification number.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a radio frequency identification (RFID) system and method is provided.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the system comprises an RF interrogator which transmits signals at a plurality of different frequencies and which receives first frequencies of the plurality of different frequencies from an item label, and a computer which determines second frequencies of the plurality of different frequencies which were not received by the RF interrogator, and which determines an item identification number from the first and second frequencies by assigning first values equal to a first binary digit to first data bits occupying first data bit positions in the item identification number for the first frequencies and assigning second values equal to a second binary digit to second data bits occupying second data bit positions in the item identification number for the second frequencies.
A method of identifying an item includes the steps of transmitting a plurality of different first signals having a plurality of different frequencies, receiving second signals having second frequencies from an item label associated with the item, determining third frequencies associated with the item label which were not received from the item label, and determining an item identification number from the second and third frequencies, including the substeps of assigning first values equal to a first binary digit to first data bits occupying first data bit positions in the item identification number for the second frequencies, and assigning second values equal to a second binary digit to second data bits occupying second data bit positions in the item identification number for the third frequencies.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a radio frequency identification (RFID) system and method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method of identifying items which requires less item orientation and placement in order to identify items.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive method of identifying items for purchase.
It is another object of the present invention to supplement or replace the function of barcodes with multiple single bit RFID labels.

Radio frequency identification system and method


Steering and roll control systems to counteract yaw and/or roll forces during operation of a vehicle having first and second wheeled members coupled together by an articulating joint mechanism that is configured to pivot in a yaw direction and/or a roll direction. The steering assistance systems include a biasing unit configured to apply a counteracting force to bias the first and second wheeled members toward a straight-line arrangement thereof. The roll control systems include an additional biasing unit configured to apply a counteracting force to bias the first and second wheeled members toward a level alignment arrangement of the vehicle.

The present invention generally relates to self-propelled vehicles of the types used in the lawn care industry for material spreading activities such as spreading fertilizer or herbicide. The invention particularly relates to systems capable of providing steering assistance and/or roll control during the operation of such vehicles.
Ride-on self-propelled lawn care equipment, such as fertilizer and herbicide spreaders, are known and commercially available. A notable example is the Perma-Green Triumph, available from Perma-Green Supreme Inc., which utilizes an articulated steering system to turn the vehicle by physically turning its self-propelled front end (motorized with drive wheels) to cause the front end to articulate relative to a trailing end (sulky) on which an operator is able to stand. Another example is a self-propelled fertilizer spreader vehicle disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,600 to Jessen, incorporated herein by reference.
Articulating joint mechanisms of the type referenced above typically provide the following functions: steering the front end in the right and left (yaw) directions relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and about a vertical pivot located between the front end and sulky; maintaining stability and tire to ground contact on uneven surfaces by permitting limited relative rotational (roll) movement between the front end and sulky about a horizontal pivot located along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and maintaining a constant horizontal alignment between the front and rear portions of the vehicle by preventing up or down movement (pitch) about a horizontal transverse pivot between the front end and sulky.
Attempts have been made to add power assist systems to existing articulating joint mechanisms to reduce the physical exertion of the operator and improve control when maneuvering, especially when the vehicle is fully loaded and operating on uneven terrain. An exemplary power assist system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,954,573, which is incorporated herein by reference, and commercially available from Perma-Green Supreme, Inc. under the name PermaGreen Triumph. While not intending to be limited to any particular interpretation, this system utilizes a synchronized two-lever drive-steering control system in combination with the aforementioned articulating joint mechanism.
Despite the improvements provided by the Perma-Green Triumph and other available vehicles, there is an ongoing demand for systems capable of improving the steering of such vehicles in order to improve operator comfort, safety, and vehicle control, especially on vehicles that have a high center of gravity.

Steering assistance systems, roll control systems, and vehicles having the same


One or more aspects of the disclosure provide an efficient equalization scheme capable of mitigating multi-path interference on channels with large delay spread using short-length equalizers. That is, by dividing stored samples of a signal received on the multi-path channel by time into a plurality of clusters, a short-length equalizer can be utilized in an iterative fashion on each of the clusters, thus eliminating the need for a large length equalizer while still providing improved performance over that of a Rake receiver at large delay spreads. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. One example of such a network is the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The UTRAN is the radio access network (RAN) defined as a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a third generation (3G) mobile phone technology supported by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). UMTS, which is the successor to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technologies, currently supports various air interface standards, such as Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Time Division-Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), and Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA). UMTS also supports enhanced 3G data communications protocols, such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), which provides higher data transfer speeds and capacity to associated UMTS networks.
In these systems, the RF performance at the access terminal is a key feature for which further optimization is continuously sought. Thus, many variations of receivers have been developed, and can provide excellent RF performance for wireless access terminals.
One of many issues with which designers of RF receivers are faced is interference. For example, in any multiple access system such as a cellular communication network, interference caused by wireless communication with other users in the network can inhibit the receiver's performance. Furthermore, by virtue of multipath fading, interference from the desired signal itself, which can be smeared over time by the channel before arriving at the receiver, can additionally inhibit the receiver's performance. Because different types of receiver can better address different types of interference, some access terminals have been known to include more than one type of receiver, or in other examples, two or more functional blocks may be included within a receiver, such as its front-end or back-end. In this way, selection of a more suitable receiver, or a more suitable functional block, may be made in an effort to improve the overall performance of the receiver.
As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, research and development continue to advance the technology not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications.

Apparatus and method for iterative interference cancellation in a wireless communication network


The invention is a new design for a structure such as a stack for exhaust hot gases. One embodiment is that of the top portion of a ship's stack (the watchcap) for exhausting a hot steam plant, a gas turbine, a diesel or other engine, or burner exhaust gases. The function of the invention is to reduce the infrared radiation generated by the hot metal of the exhaust pipe and surrounding structure. This function is accomplished by constructing an annular plenum chamber around a portion of the length of the smokepipe. The plenum chamber has air flow channels, an arrangement of insulation, and openings, top and bottom, so that convective air flow is established at the hot smokepipe wall. The thermal gradient produced also induces a secondary cool-air-flow along an outer wall. Another feature is an arrangement of a double-walled shield extending above, below, and around the terminal end of the smokepipe that blocks the low angle view into the hot smokepipe. The shield is cooled by an ambient air flow that is induced by the escaping exhaust gases.

Heat-seeking (infrared) detection systems employed by missiles, other weapons, or devices can detect the infrared radiation emitted by hot gas exhaust structures on military targets, such as ships, aircraft, or ground installations. These devices employ this radiation for weapon guidance, or for reconnaissance and classification purposes. The infrared detection vulnerability of military targets can be reduced by decreasing the temperatures of the hot gas exhaust structures such as ships' stacks.
The prior art shows at least two unsuccessful schemes for the reduction of steam-ship stack temperatures. The first scheme involves the use of sea water sprayed into the stack gases and cavity. This reduced the infrared radiation by one-half, and is not sufficient to defeat known infrared detection systems. The second scheme uses ambient air which, after traversing cooling passages, is aspirated into the exhaust gas path within the smokepipe. Due to the design of the smokepipe and since power conditions are frequently changed, exhaust velocities would change and result in an uncontrolled situation. Additionally at relatively low exhaust gas velocities, the flow of the hot exhaust gases through the cooling passages might result rather than their flowing out of the top of the stack, thus defeating the intent of the scheme. The second scheme also uses a single-walled shield to prevent low-angle viewing into the smokepipe, but such a shield is, itself, susceptible to heating by wind-blown exhaust gases, a condition which would defeat its purpose.

Convectively cooled hot gas exhaust structure to reduce infrared radiation

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A power converter includes a charge pump in which transistors transition between conducting and non-conducting states thereby causing said pump capacitors to be interconnected in different arrangements at different times. Among the transistors is one that transitions into a conducting state when a source and gate of that transistor are at equal potentials.

In a typical charge pump, a set of switches in a switching-network interconnects pump-capacitors to form different capacitor networks at different times. By transitioning between different capacitor networks, it is possible to transform an input voltage into an output voltage. A network of this type is often referred to as a "switched-capacitor network."
The switches are typically implemented by field-effect transistors that can be made to transition between conducting and non-conducting states through the enhancement and depletion of an inversion layer between two similarly doped semiconducting regions. To cause this transition, it is usual to cause an electric field to be present in an oppositely-doped semiconducting region between the two similarly-doped semiconducting regions. The two similarly-doped regions are often called a "source" and "drain." The oppositely-doped region is often called a "channel."
To control the electric field, it is usual to place a conducting metal plate on an oxide layer that covers the channel region. This plate is often called a "gate terminal." By depositing and withdrawing charge on this gate terminal, it is possible to control the electric field within the channel region. A circuit that is responsible for depositing and withdrawing this charge quickly and at particular times is a "driver."
In general, when no voltage is applied, there will be no inversion layer to connect the source and the drain. As a result, a charge carrier faces a significant obstacle in trying to traverse the channel. This means that there is no significant conduction between the source and drain. When this happens, the transistor is conducting. In this state, the switch is said to be "open" or "off."
To permit conduction, it is necessary to apply a voltage on the gate terminal. This voltage creates an electric field that drives away majority carriers, thus depopulating a layer near the gate terminal. Charge carriers from the source can then enter this depopulated layer and reach the drain from the source. Since this layer is now populated with what would be minority carriers from the gate's point of view, a population inversion, the layer is referred to herein as an "inversion layer." When this happens, the transistor conducts. In this state, the switch is said to be "closed" or "on."
In a transistor as described above, the switch is open by default. Such a transistor is referred to as "normally off." In such cases, to close the switch, one needs to apply a voltage.
However, there also exist transistors in which this behavior is reversed. In these transistors, the switch is closed by default. Such a transistor is said to be "normally on." To open the switch, one needs to apply a voltage. Such a transistor requires a different type of drive circuit.

Driving circuit for switches used in a charge pump


A two part ventilated seat cover for a motor vehicle seat, comprising a seat portion cushion and a seat back cushion. The two cushions are separated and mutually attached by a bulkhead. The bulkhead prevents air flow between the respective cushions. The cushions are equally sized to help equalize air flow thereto and therefrom. Elastic straps are provided to each cushion to facilitate attachment to the vehicle seat. Air is drawn into the system through an air pick up, then passes through a flexible conduit which branches into two secondary conduits. Each secondary conduit is preferably of equal cross section, each supplying one cushion with equal air flow. Each cushion is perforated only at a respective surface contacting the user, and air is discharged therethrough. Adequate supply of air to each respective cushion is assured by the branched supply conduit, and by separation of air flow within the respective cushions, as effected by the bulkhead. In alternative embodiments, air is obtained from the vehicle ventilation system and from a self-powered fan. In the latter case, the fan is integral to the air pick up.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for ventilating a vehicle seat. Generally, then, the field of the invention is vehicular transportation. Even more generally, the invention relates to the scientific field of compressible fluid flow.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The following known prior art has been directed to providing seat ventilation devices and techniques. As will be seen, the simplicity and effectiveness of my invention is not rivaled in the prior art.
Supplementary ventilation systems for vehicle seats are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,324, issued to Ignace K. Law on Jan. 1, 1991, is representative of ventilated seats which are placed on a vehicle seat. A conduit is connected to the vehicle ventilation system, and delivers heated or cooled air to the ventilated seat. The ventilated seat has orifices on its upper surfaces for releasing air to flow against a user's body. In an alternate embodiment, the Law invention is provided with an integral fan. In other alternate embodiments, the ventilated seat comprises a seat back only, or a seat and seat back in combination.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,230, issued to Samuel Spitalnick on Mar. 5, 1991, discloses a device employing the same general principles, although departing in specific construction. A single flexible air conduit deriving an air supply from the vehicle ventilation supply branches to deliver air from the flexible conduit through respective valves or controls to respective seat and seat back cushion segments.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,853,992, issued on Aug. 8, 1989, and 5,016,302, issued on May 21, 1991, both issued to Kaung H. Yu, disclose a ventilated seat device which lacks a seat back portion. Air is derived from the vehicle ventilation system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,544, issued to Walter Ismer on Aug. 23, 1977, discloses a seat cushion or pad which is integral with a seat assembly, including ventilation directing air against a user's body. Air flow is generated by periodic compaction and expansion of the pad, which occurs in response to a user shifting his or her weight thereon.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


Embodiments of the disclosure relate to directing a flow from a borehole termination structure. Embodiments include a device for containing fluid flow from a borehole. The device includes an engagement body and a sealing member located within a cavity of the engagement body. The cavity is configured to receive a portion of a borehole termination structure extending from the borehole and to direct fluid from the borehole into a fluid conduit. The sealing member has a changeable shape configured to surround the borehole termination structure and to form a seal between an outer surface of the borehole termination structure and an inner surface of the body of the containment assembly based on the borehole termination structure being positioned within the cavity.

Blowout prevention is a significant concern in hydrocarbon exploration and production. Blowouts generally refer to uncontrolled fluid or gas flow from an earth formation into a wellbore, which could potentially flow to the surface. Component failure and/or sudden flow of formation fluid, such as water, oil and/or gas, into the borehole (i.e., a kick) can result in large amounts of fluid and other materials to flow from a borehole unfettered into the environment. The unrestricted flow can have significant impacts on health, safety and the environment, as well causing loss of income either directly or by reduced or delayed production.

System and method for containing borehole fluid


A high-pressure steam stream produced from the waste heat recovery system of a syngas producing unit may be superheated and then supplied to a steam turbine in a hydrocarbon production plant to produce an expanded steam stream and shaft power. A portion of the expanded stream can be fed into the reforming reactor in the syngas producing unit. The shaft power can be used to drive compressors and pumps in an olefins production plant. Considerable energy efficiency and capital investment savings can be realized by such steam integration compared to running the olefins production plant separately.

Ethylene and propylene (light olefins) are two of the highest volume petrochemical products manufactured. The polymer products into which they are converted have numerous applications in society ranging from food wrap films that extend produce shelf life to light-weight automotive components that contribute to reduced fuel consumption. The majority of ethylene and propylene are manufactured from hydrocarbon feedstocks by the so-called steam-cracking process in an olefins product plant. In this process the hydrocarbon feed, in the presence of steam, is subjected to very high temperatures for very short reaction times, producing a mixed product stream rich in ethylene and propylene, but also containing molecules ranging from hydrogen to fuel-oil. This mixed product stream is then immediately cooled and separated to produce a process gas stream comprising C1-C4 hydrocarbons including ethylene and propylene. The process gas stream is then compressed to a higher pressure, cooled to a very low temperature in a chill chain, and separated in distillation columns to recover, among others, an ethylene product stream and a propylene product stream. Steam turbines are typically utilized in the olefins production plant. Superheated steam streams are generated to supply the steam turbines.
Syngas, a mixture comprising primarily H2 and CO, optionally CO2, and optionally CH4, with various purity levels may be produced by using hydrocarbon steam reforming such as methane reforming in a syngas producing unit. The reforming may occur in a reforming reactor such as steam-methane-reformer ("SMR") where methane and steam, upon being heated to a high temperature, react in the presence of a reforming catalyst to produce a reformed stream comprising H2, CO, and steam exiting the SMR. Heat energy can be recovered from the high-temperature reformed stream to produce steam at various pressures and a cooled reformed stream. Upon steam abatement, a first syngas stream may be produced from the cooled reformed stream. Alternatively or additionally, the cooled reformed stream may undergo a shift reaction in the presence of a shift catalyst to convert a portion of CO and steam therein into CO2 and H2 and to produce a shifted stream comprising H2, CO, CO2, and H2O. Upon steam abatement, a second syngas comprising H2, CO, and CO2 can be produced. Upon CO2 recovery from the second syngas, a third syngas comprising H2 and CO may be produced. If the third syngas comprises a low concentration of CO, the third syngas is a H2-rich gas suitable as a fuel gas stream. An H2-rich gas may be further purified to produce H2 product with various levels of purity by using, e.g., a pressure-swing unit.
There is a need to improve energy efficiency of an olefins production plant and a syngas production unit. This disclosure satisfies this and other needs.

Hydrocarbon reforming processes with shaft power production


An integrated circuit chip includes a first single ended type buffer configured to receive a first signal through a first pad, a second single ended type buffer configured to receive a second signal through a second pad, a differential type buffer configured to receive a third signal through the first pad and the second pad, a strobe input unit configured to receive a strobe signal synchronized with the third signal inputted to the first pad and the second pad, and a buffer control unit configured to control activation of the first and second single ended type buffers and the differential type buffer in response to the strobe signal.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an integrated circuit chip, and more particularly, to buffers for receiving signals inputted to an integrated circuit chip and drivers for outputting signals to an outside of the integrated circuit chip.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various integrated circuit chips operate while transmitting and receiving data (signals) to and from other chips. For example, memory chips such as a DRAM and a flash memory transmit and receive data to and from memory controllers. Also, a CPU transmits and receives data to and from various chips on a mother board. With the development of technologies, a data transmission speed is increased. As a data transmission frequency is increased, a data eye for data recognition is decreased. The decreased data eye may be more vulnerable to influences from power noise or impedance mismatching caused due to internal or external factors of a chip and influences by variations in processes.
Data transmission types are divided into a single ended type and a different type. Single ended type data transmission refers to a type in which one data is transmitted to one data pad, and it may be vulnerable to noise, while having the large number of channels and reduced current consumption. Differential type data transmission refers to a type in which one data is transmitted to two data pads in such a manner that main data is transmitted to one data pad and sub data (data obtained by inverting the main data) is transmitted to the other data pad. In such differential type data transmission, the logic value of data is recognized by comparing the voltage levels of the main data and the sub data. Therefore, the differential type data transmission has the small number of channels and augmented current consumption, while being invulnerable to noise.
Thus, a technique for appropriately combining the single ended type data transmission and reception and the differential type data transmission and reception is being developed.