In one embodiment, a power integrated circuit device includes a main lateral high-voltage field-effect transistor (HVFET) and an adjacently-located lateral sense FET, both of which are formed on a high-resistivity substrate. A sense resistor is formed in a well region disposed in an area of the substrate between the HVFET and the sense FET. A parasitic substrate resistor is formed in parallel electrical connection with the sense resistor between the source regions of the HVFET and the sense FET. Both transistor devices share common drain and gate electrodes. When the main lateral HVFET and the sense FET are in an on-state, a voltage potential is produced at the second source metal layer that is proportional to a first current flowing through the lateral HVFET.

Current sensing field-effect transistors, which are frequently referred to as sense FETs, have been used for many years in integrated circuit applications where accurate current sensing can provide information for both control and over-current protection. Sense FETs are typically constructed as a small part or transistor section of a larger, main current carrying semiconductor device. For example, in a conventional insulated-gate field-effect transistor (MOSFET) device, the sense FET may comprise a small section of the channel region of the main device. In operation, the sense FET may sample a small fraction of the channel current of the larger device, thereby providing an indication of the current flowing through the main transistor device. The sense FET and main device typically share a common drain and gate, but each has a separate source electrode which may or may not be shorted to the body region.
Sense FETs are particularly useful in many power delivery applications to provide current limit protection and accurate power delivery. In order to provide these functions the sense FET needs to maintain a constant current sensing ratio (CSR) with respect to the main high-voltage FET over a wide range of drain currents (100 mA to 10 amperes), temperature (−25° C. to 125° C.), as well as fabrication process variations and mechanical stress/packaging variations. The ratio of drain current of the main high-voltage FET (HVFET) to that of the sense FET typically ranges between 20:1 to 800:1, or greater.
Lateral field-effect transistors are widely used for high-voltage (e.g., greater than 400 volts) integrated circuit applications. In a lateral HVFET structure, a source region is laterally separated from an extended drain or drift region by a channel region. A gate structure is disposed over the channel region, insulated from the underlying semiconductor material by a thin layer of oxide. In the on-state, an appropriate voltage applied to the gate causes a lateral conduction channel to form between the source and extended drain regions, thereby allowing current to flow laterally through the device. In the off-state, the voltage on the gate is sufficiently low such that no conduction channel forms in the substrate and thus no current flows. In the off-state, the device supports a high voltage between the drain and source regions.
Among the difficulties that arise in the design of sense FET for use in a power IC with a lateral HVFET device are drain voltage debiasing and body-effect problems. Debiasing of the drain voltage can occur when the sense resistor (typically coupled between the source and ground) is a large percentage (e.g., >25%) of the sense FET resistance, resulting in a large voltage drop across the sense resistor. This raises the source voltage of the sense FET relative to the gate, thus lowering the gate to source drive of the sense FET relative to the main HVFET. Similarly, in a lateral HVFET where the body is physically connected to the substrate, the body of the sense FET needs to be separate from the source. This causes the sense FET threshold voltage to increase with current and compromises the sense FET tracking to the main HVFET device. Additionally, past attempts to physically locate the sense FET close to the main HVFET (e.g. in a shared well region) to improve tracking have been problematic since doing so can affect the charge balance in the device, resulting in a lower breakdown voltage (BV). Another disadvantage is the location of the sense element which is typically a resistor that is located some distance away from the HVFET region. This results in poor matching to the HVFET.

Power integrated circuit with incorporated sense FET


A system and method for controlling the speed of a motor operating in an extremely low speed range and having a rotary pulse encoder which outputs a pulse whenever a rotation axle of the motor has rotated through a predetermined angle. The extremely low speed range is defined such that its pulse interval of the output pulses is longer than a speed control period of the system are disclosed, load torque estimated value observer is provided. The least order disturbance observer includes a first calculating block which calculates an estimated value of the motor speed n.sub.M ' (j) of a motor model on the basis of a torque command and a load torque estimated value: a second calculating block which calculates an average value of the motor speed at each pulse interval n.sub.M ' (j).

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for controlling a speed of an electric motor in an extremely low speed range of the motor using a rotary pulse encoder as a motor speed detector.
(2) Description of the Background Art
Generally, in a previously proposed speed control system for an electric motor using a rotary pulse encoder having a relatively low resolution, each interval of adjacent pulses (or the period of each rising pulse) derived from the pulse encoder usually becomes longer than a speed control period (or sampling pulse interval derived from a reference clock of a microcomputer to derive the motor speed). When the motor rotates at an extremely low speed, accurate speed information cannot be obtained during the speed control period.
Therefore, the speed control system described above often becomes unstable in the extremely low speed rang 13 as described below with reference to FIGS. 1 (A) through 1 (D).
The pulse encoder linked across a rotation axle of the motor produces a pulse as shown in FIG. 1 (C) in the low speed range of the motor near zero.
In detail, a rotation speed n.sub.M with respect to a time t at a low speed range of the motor generally indicates a linear characteristic, as shown in FIG. 1 (A).
However, an angular position .theta. of the rotation axle of the motor with respect to time t generally indicates a curved characteristic as shown in FIG. 1 (B).
Hence, a pulse train derived from the pulse encoder has a pulse interval which becomes narrower as the time t has passed by as shown in FIG. 1 (C).
At a time when the pulse information of FIG. 1 (C) is changed, an average speed n.sub.M(j) for the pulse interval T.sub.p(j ),is derived as shown in FIG. 1 (D) according to the pulse interval T.sub.p(j) and a change rate of the pulse with respect to the pulse interval Tp(j). Therefore, if the pulse interval T.sub.p(j) is longer than the speed control period, the speed between each speed control period cannot be detected.
At this time, the average speed value using a previous value thereof n.sub.Mj-1 is used. Consequently, a deviation between the values of the average speed and real speed n.sub.M comes accordingly large as the motor speed becomes unstable in the lower speed range and in the speed control.
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication Heisei 2-307384 published on Dec. 20, 1990 exemplifies another previously proposed speed control system which has improved this unstable speed control characteristic.
In the disclosed Japanese Patent Application First Publication, the speed control system determines the rotation speed in the extremely low speed range using a load torque estimated value. However, since the means using the load torque estimated value is a type of a perfect order state observer, an adjustment of its gain (PI) is extremely difficult.
On the other hand, such an unstable control problem and a slow-responsive characteristic problem in the extremely low speed range of the motor rotation needs to be solved. Particularly, these problems need to be solve for applications of servomotor mechanisms and elevators demanding a high positioning accuracy.
Although a resolver or a highly precise rotary pulse output encoder has been used as the speed detector, many difficult problems such as adjustments and/or cost, problems in addition to the unstable control problem occur.
A Japanese Paper of T. IEE Japan, Vol. 107-D, No. 12, 1987 titled "Digital Servo Using Speed Estimation Observer" exemplified another previously proposed digital servo system using speed estimation observer (using the perfect order state observer) which is an expanded version of a load torque estimation observer.

System and method for controlling the speed of an electric motor in an extremely low speed range using a rotary pulse encoder


An orthopaedic support or product is formed of a doubleknit type fabric material with spaced interwoven layers formed of high strength materials and an open-work matrix of filaments or threads interconnecting the layers. The fabric may be impregnated with water hardenable urethane. Hydroxy propyl methyl-cellulose (HPMC) will also be applied to the doubleknit type material or other casting fabric in sufficient amount to reduce the stickiness of the water hardenable urethane. The HPMC may be mixed in with the water hardenable urethane prior to impregnation, or may be applied to at least one of the outer surfaces of the doubleknit type material. The orthopaedic support or product is packaged in a water-vapor impermeable package; and is opened and water is supplied to the fabric when it is applied to the part of the anatomy requiring support. The fabric may be included in a soft goods support including a water distribution network and straps to hold the support in place.

In the formation of casts, it is useful to use a water hardenable material, such as Plaster of Paris or a water hardenable urethane, as disclosed for examples in U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,741 or in German Offenlegenschrift No. 2,651,089.
With regard to the construction of water hardenable casts, plaster of paris casts have been used for many years. They normally involve the use of several layers of cotton "skrim" or a very loosely woven cloth using thin threads and having large openings, and these layers of cloth are embedded in plaster of paris. In use, strips of the skrim and plaster of paris are dipped in water and wrapped around the injured portion of the anatomy. Normally padding is employed next to the skin to protect from the hardening cast material. As the plaster of paris hardens, it is somewhat exothermic, but there is no gas released. U.S. Pat. No. 3,043,298 (Brickman, et al.) assigned to Johnson & Johnson, discloses the addition of hydroxypropyl methyl-cellulose (HPMC) to a Plaster of Paris bandage to be used as an orthopaedic cast which gives the Plaster of Paris a creamy and viscous consistency or texture when wet with water just prior to application. More specifically, a plain Plaster of Paris cast without additives has a somewhat granular texture, akin to wet sand, while with the addition of HPMC it is somewhat smoother in texture with a consistency similar to mud or smooth clay.
Concerning water hardenable urethane casts, they are usually formed of a high strength fabric which may be 1/16 of an inch or so thick, and which is normally knitted so that there are small visible openings through the fabric. The water hardenable urethane material is impregnated into the fabric. At the time of use, assembly may be dipped in water prior to application to the injured part of the anatomy. Again, padding is usually employed to protect the skin from the cast material. In the case of urethane, the exothermic hardening reaction is accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide, and the wet urethane is very sticky. With the outgassing of the CO.sub.2 and the resulting bubbling out of the urethane material, the warm sticky assembly would be difficult for the doctor or orthopaedic technician to handle, and properly apply to the patient. One technique directed to overcoming this problem is disclosed in Mathew T. Scholz, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,660 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,937. As disclosed in these patents, the coefficient of friction of a curable resin sheet may be reduced by using either a lubricant of a certain type bound to the resin, and/or by using additive lubricants which are either (a) polysiloxanes, (b) surfactants, and polymers consisting of hydrophilic groups of certain types. It was the considered view of knowledgeable persons in the orthopaedic field that the techniques as described in the Scholz, et al. patents were the only practical way of obtaining the desired low coefficient of friction where water hardenable urethane materials were employed. Thus, for example, the assignee of the Brickman patent cited above, apparently employed the lubricants of the Scholz, et al. patents for its hardenable urethane cast assemblies, see Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. v. Johnson & Johnson, 24 U.S.P.Q.2d 1321, 976 F.2d 1559 (CAFC 1992).
With regard to aspects of the invention emphasized in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/088,905 cited above, it has previously been proposed to use water-hardenable materials in orthopaedic supports and casts; and typical patents disclosing such products include U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,979, granted Mar. 5, 1991, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,877, granted Aug. 4, 1987. However, when materials as disclosed in these patents are employed, the flow of liquid through the open cell foam or layers of fabric, as well as the strength of the orthopaedic support may not be subject to the desired level of control.
It is also noted that these prior art products mentioned above have other problems. Thus, for example with regard to the casts or supports using layers of material, care must be taken to firmly engage the layers during the setting period to ensure unitary bonding of the entire layered cast or assembly. Doctors practicing in this area even have a saying: "rub it like you love it," to encourage full engagement of the layers during hardening of the water-hardenable material. This step obviously requires care and expertise, as it is undesirable to apply undue force to an injured limb involving broken bones, for example. Further, if this technique is not properly employed, the layers will not fully bond together, and the cast or support will be weak, and the layers could separate. Also with regard to the hardenable splints or supports using open cell foam, they may lack sufficient flexibility and conformability to properly fit the three-dimensional parts of the anatomy requiring splinting or support.
Flat rigid panels have also been proposed using doubleknit fabrics and hardenable resins, as indicated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,480, granted Nov. 24, 1992, and entitled "Knitted Fabric Panel Structure and Process of Manufacture." Attention is also directed to U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,442, granted Aug. 2, 1994. This patent discloses an intermediate pliant sheet which may be made of a single layer fabric such as a fiberglass fabric impregnated with a water-hardenable material. Then, on both sides of this pliant layer, the patentees disclose the use of layers of doubleknit material. Thus, with doubleknit material present in the assembly, it is not used to receive the water-hardenable material but is only used for padding.
As noted above, prior art orthopaedic products have involved shortcomings in the flow control of water to the water-hardenable material and the strength of the orthopaedic device.


A communication node operable to estimate faults in a mobile ad hoc network and method of performing the same. In one embodiment, the communication node includes a processor and memory including computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the communication node to monitor a set of observable parameters at the communication node, produce a fault estimate at the communication node from the set of observable parameters, and provide the fault estimate to a global fault detector at another communication node.

Fault, configuration, accounting, performance and security ("FCAPS") systems have long been recognized to play a role in a management of communication networks, ensuring their availability, performance, and dependability under a wide array of operational conditions. Fault detection and localization represents a component of the FCAPS providing an ability to continuously monitor and assess the health of a network, and to accurately and proactively discover potential problems. While traditional wired networks have benefited from advances in fault detection technologies, fault detection in mobile ad hoc networks ("MANETs") (also referred to as ad hoc networks) remains largely a matter of art rather than engineering, despite the important role such ad hoc networks occupy in defense, critical emergency response, and other life-sustaining support areas.
Fault detection and localization in ad hoc networks is significantly more challenging than in static networks due to several characteristics thereof. The ad hoc networks generally have very limited bandwidth available for network management activities, higher prevalence of faults due to adverse operational environments, and larger variability of conditions due to mobility and ad hoc organization. These constraints often limit the adoption of traditional fault managers in ad hoc environments. Additionally, fault detection procedures specifically designed for ad hoc networks are hard to maintain and prone to fragility when facing even minor modifications or adaptation.
While this might be acceptable in some stable, traditional networks, these are obstacles in the environment of the ad hoc networks. First, at this technological stage, the basic technologies of the ad hoc networks are still rapidly evolving, which often trigger redesign and refactoring on FCAPS components and dependent systems. Second, expert knowledge and understanding of the operations and maintenance of ad hoc networks remains scarce due to newness of the area and the difficulty of the problem. Also, interactions and dependencies between ad hoc network elements are more complex and difficult to predict because each communication node often includes router capabilities and the nature of the topologies is inherently unstable.
Fault detection and localization represent important network management activities that enable networks to operate in a dependable manner, while maintaining network performance and availability. Despite its importance, fault detection and localization in the ad hoc networks remains difficult due to the challenging nature of such networks, which have now become substantial hindrances for operating the same. Among the chief obstacles facing fault detection in the ad hoc networks are the limited available bandwidth for collecting measurements, inherent centralization of traditional methods unsuitable for ad hoc networks, and fragility of fault models facing variable network conditions and network reconfigurations. Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a system and method for fault estimation and detection that overcomes the deficiencies in the present solutions.

Communication node operable to estimate faults in an ad hoc network and method of performing the same


The invention is directed to an electrical connector, comprising a main body having a latching arm extending therealong. The latching arm has a latching projection to engage a latching protrusion on a mating connector. A lifting arm extends from the main body and is directed towards the latching arm. The lifting arm is movable towards and away from the latching arm. The lifting arm has a ramped surface. Whereby, when the lifting arm is moved towards the latching arm, the ramped surface engages a bottom surface of the latching arm thereby deflecting the latching upwardly and away from the main body to disengage engagement between the latching arm and the latching projection.

Many electrical connectors have a latching feature to secure the electrical connector with its mating electrical connector. A few of these connectors have arms that extend forwardly from an anchor point and which are deflected up and over a protrusion on the mating connector and then resiled to their normal position thereby latching under the projection and securing the two connectors together. In order to release the connection between the electrical connectors, it is necessary to then pull up on the forward end of the latching arm to release the projection on the mating connector.
An alternative design is one having an elongated latching arm with a pivot point in the center of the latching arm. The forward end of latching arm will resile over the top of a protrusion on the mating connector and latch the connectors together. In order to release this connector, it is only necessary to then press on the rear end of the latching arm to release the connection between the forward end of the latching arm and the protrusion.
The problem with the first connector described is that is it necessary for the operator to get a good grip on the forward end of the latching arm in order to release the engagement. In certain circumstances it may be difficult for the operator to reach the position of the forward end of the latching arm. The problem with the second design is that is often makes the connector longer in order to accommodate the longer latching arm.
What is needed is an improved electrical connector having a latching system that is easily released so that the electrical connectors can be unmated.

Latching system for an electrical connector


A computerized method and system based on quantitative analysis of geometric features of various infiltrate patterns in chest images for the detection and categorization of abnormalities related to the infiltrate patterns. Chest images are digitized and a lung texture analysis is performed on a number of small regions of interest (ROIs) in order to determine a classification of normal or abnormal of the particular patient's lungs. If the lungs are determined as being abnormal, large ROIs with a 128.times.128 matrix are selected in order to cover the detected areas of abnormality. Overall background trend correction is then performed in these large ROIs using a 2D-surface fitting technique for isolation of the fluctuating patterns of the underlying lung texture. Opacities of interstitial infiltrates are identified from two processed images which are obtained by employing thresholding with a morphological filter and a line enhancement filter. Finally, ROIs are classified into nodular, reticular and/or reticulo-nodular patterns by measurement of parameters corresponding to the type of the abnormality pattern detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a computerized method and system for analysis of chest radiographs to determine the presence or absence of interstitial lung disease and if interstitial disease is discovered, to classify the abnormalities on the basis of detected parameters related to the characteristics unique to a given abnormality type.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In order to detect and characterize interstitial disease, there has recently been developed a computerized scheme, based on Fourier analysis techniques, for quantifying lung textures in digital chest radiographs. Such a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,839,807 and 4,851,984 both to Doi et al, the inventors of the present application. In this method, a conventional posterior-anterior (PA) chest radiograph is digitized with a drum scanner system employing a 0.1 millimeter pixel size and a 10-bit gray scale. Approximately 20 square regions of interest (ROIs) with a 64.times.64 matrix size are selected from the intercostal spaces. Manually interactive operations are needed in the ROI selection for the avoidance of ribs. A non-uniform background trend caused by the gross anatomy of the lung and chest wall is corrected by fitting a 2-dimensional surface to the original image in an ROI and subtraction of the fitted surface from the original image. Such a surface-fitting technique facilitates the determination of fluctuating patterns of the underlying lung texture for subsequent analysis and processing by a computer.
The root mean square (RMS) variation, also referred to as R, and the first moment of the power spectrum, commonly referred to as M, are then determined, by use of the two-dimensional Fourier transform, as quantitative measures of the magnitude and coarseness (or fineness), respectively, of the lung texture. The two-dimensional Fourier transformed data are defined in terms of a function T (u,v) where u and v are spatial frequencies in a cartesian coordinate system. The function T (u,v) is band-pass filtered by another function known in the art as the human visual response V (u,v) as a means of suppressing low frequency and high frequency components, in order to enhance differences between normal and abnormal lungs.
From the filtered data (T (u,v), V (u,v)) the two texture measures R and M are obtained for each ROI. The ROIs are then classified as normal or abnormal on the basis of a comparison of these texture measures and a data base derived from clinical cases. The data base is obtained by determining average R and M values from lungs which were predetermined to be normal or abnormal. The normal lungs on average showed R values which were lower than those for abnormal lungs and M values which were higher. The results are displayed on a CRT monitor, providing a "second opinion" as an aid to radiologists in their interpretation.
This previous method was useful for distinguishing relatively obvious abnormal lung textures due to nodular, reticular and reticulo-nodular patterns. However, it became apparent in recent studies (Katsuragawa S, Doi K, MacMahon H, Nakamori N. Sasaki Y, Fennessy J. J.: quantitative analysis of lung texture in the ILO pneumoconioses standard radiographs, Radiographics Vol. 10, pp. 257-269, 1990) that the two texture measures R and M are not adequate to distinguish subtle abnormal lung textures due to various patterns, because the texture measures determined for round opacities were almost identical to those for irregular opacities. This result indicates the need for a new approach to the quantization and distinction of subtle texture patterns in chest images.

Method and system for determining geometric pattern features of interstitial infiltrates in chest images


A radiation detector comprising a II-VI compound semiconductor substrate that absorbs radiation having a first energy, a II-VI compound semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type provided on a main surface of the II-VI compound semiconductor substrate, a metal layer containing at least one of a group III element and a group V element provided on the II-VI compound semiconductor layer, a IV semiconductor layer having a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type provided on the metal layer, and a IV semiconductor substrate that absorbs radiation having a second energy different from the first energy provided on the IV semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation detector and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, detecting elements have been constructed using semiconductor elements having as a principal material thereof Si (silicon) for soft X-rays, and CdTe (cadmium telluride) for hard X-rays (see Published Japanese Translation of PCT Application No. H10-512398). However, it has been difficult to obtain good sensitivity for both soft X-rays and hard X-rays.
Moreover, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-344548 and Hatanaka et al., Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics, Vol. 74, pp 257-267 (1988), it is disclosed that by placing different semiconductor crystals on one another, sensitivity to radiation such as X-rays having different energies is obtained, and that wires are connected to each of the semiconductor crystals. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H5-3337, a radiation detector that distinguishes between two types of radiation, and detects these types of radiation with high sensitivity is disclosed.

Wide range radiation detector and manufacturing method

National University Corporation Shizuoka University


An apparatus for processing image, includes an input unit for inputting user operation information, a recording medium for recording moving image data, a data processor for retrieving data recorded on the recording medium and generating display data in response to an input to the input unit, and a display unit for displaying the display data. The data processor selects a frame containing an image of a person's face from a scene as a moving image recording unit recorded on the recording medium, generates a thumbnail image of a face region extracted from the selected frame and displays on the display unit a list of generated thumbnail images arranged in a time-series order.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an imaging apparatus, an image display control method and a computer program. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an imaging apparatus, an image display control method and a computer program for displaying, in a list of thumbnail images, images selected from a great deal of moving image data picked up by a video camera, for example, and starting a moving image playing process at a position of a thumbnail image in response to a user designation of the thumbnail image from the thumbnail image list.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many of imaging apparatuses such as a digital camera and a digital video camera and image processing apparatuses such as a digital versatile disk (DVD) player have a function of displaying on a video display unit or a monitor screen a list of image data stored on a recording medium.
For example, an apparatus playing a moving image, such as an imaging apparatus or a DVD player, displays titles of moving images and chapters in a menu form and allows a user to select a play content from display data for playing. For example, an imaging apparatus picks up a moving image and captures, as one scene, moving image data in one cycle of photographing process, namely, from a start of a photographing operation to an end of the photographing operation and displays a reduced image (thumbnail image) of a representative image selected from each scene. The imaging apparatus displays a list of thumbnail images of a plurality of scenes (moving image data) recorded on a recording medium. One scene is also referred to a cut.
For example, Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. Hei 10-028250 discloses a technique of displaying a contracted image (thumbnail image) of a representative image selected from each scene.
Since a monitor displays the contracted image (thumbnail image) of image data forming each image data file stored on the recording medium, a user learns captured image data to some degree.
A single thumbnail image is displayed on a per scene basis in the list of thumbnail images displayed on a DVD player or a video camera in the related art. More specifically, the moving image data from the start of the photographing operation to the end of the photographing operation is handled as one scene. A representative image is selected from one scene. For example, a head image of one scene is selected and a thumbnail image of the selected image is then displayed.
A variety of moving image data (scenes) is recorded on the recording medium. The moving image data changes in time length from scene to scene, for example a short scene may be several seconds long and a long scene may be one hour long, for example. It may be sometimes difficult to determine what is photographed in a scene. When a list of thumbnail images is displayed, a still image of the head image of each scene is selected, and displayed in a contracted size. It may be often difficult for a user to learn the content of the image data from the head image. The displaying of the head image alone does not necessarily allow the user to learn what the moving image presents.
When a play scene is selected from the thumbnail image list, the selected scene is played from the beginning thereof. A portion of the scene the user is really interested in may typically appear in the middle of the scene rather than in the beginning of the scene. In such a case, the user starts playing, then performs a fast-forward operation and searches a data position of interest by continuously watching a play screen or a fast-forward screen.
Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. Hei 06-153157 discloses a technique that allows an image to be searched with index images extracted in time-series order being displayed. This technique requires that an index generation process be performed beforehand. Images are acquired at regular intervals from image data recorded on a recording medium in order to generate an index image. The generated index image is then recorded on the recording medium again. Generating the index image takes time. The generated index image recorded on the recording medium reduces a memory capacity available on the recording medium.

Apparatus, method, and computer-readable storage medium for displaying a first image and a second image corresponding to the first image


To provide an electronic circuit, an electronic device, and an electronic apparatus, which are suitable for shortening data writing time or decreasing power consumption five driving transistors having the same gain factor are connected in series to form a driving current generation circuit unit. Further, five current supply transistors having the same gain factor are connected in parallel to form a current supply circuit unit. Also, gates of the driving transistors are connected to gates of the current supply transistors, respectively. Further, the current supply circuit unit is electrically connected to a data line Xm for supplying data current Idatam. Furthermore, driving current Ie1 generated in the driving current generation circuit unit is supplied to organic EL elements.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic circuit, an electronic device, and an electronic apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, electro-optical devices using electro-optical elements such as organic EL (electroluminescent) elements have received attention. Since the organic EL elements are self-luminous elements, and thus do not require a backlight, it is possible to realize an electro-optical device having low power consumption, a wide angle of view and high contrast ratio.
Among such kinds of electro-optical devices, in an electro-optical device referred to as an "active matrix electro-optical device," pixel circuits for controlling driving current supplied to the organic EL elements are provided in a display panel unit thereof.
The pixel circuits include capacitors for storing a quantity of electric charge corresponding to data signals and transistors for controlling the driving current in accordance with the quantity of electric charge in the capacitors. See International Publication Pamphlet No. WO98/36406.

Electronic circuit, electronic device, and electronic apparatus


Clearance holding portions for holding a clearance between the adjacent plate fins are spaced from side edges of louvers by a predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to a flowing direction of air and disposed at an upstream side of tubes in the flowing direction of the air. In this way, air flowing between the adjacent plate fins flows through the louvers without being disturbed by the clearance holding portions, so that an effect of the louvers for improving the heat exchange performance can be maintained sufficiently.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plate-fin type heat exchanger which can be used as, for example, a radiator for cooling a cooling water of an internal combustion engine for a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a plate-fin type heat exchanger described in JP-A-58-127092 has been known, for example. The plate-fin type heat exchanger includes a plurality of plate fins, a plurality of tubes penetrating through the plate fins, and upper and lower tanks disposed respectively at upper and lower two ends of the tubes. The plate fins are equipped with clearance holding portions for holding a clearance between each adjacent pair of plate fins (i.e., fin pinch) to a predetermined distance when the plurality of the plate fins are laminated.
FIGS. 4 through 6 show conventional type plate fins 100 having the tubes 101 penetrating through the plate fins 100, louvers 103 formed on the plate fins 100 and the clearance holding portions 105. As shown in FIG. 4, the tubes 101 are disposed in two parallel lines perpendicular to the flowing direction W of air as heat exchanging fluid, and the louvers 103 being cut to face toward the air flowing direction W are formed between each adjacent pair of tubes 101. The clearance holding portions 105 are respectively formed at a front edge side (an upstream side of the air flowing direction W), a rear edge side, and center positions of the plate fin 100 in the air flowing direction.
As shown in FIG. 5, the front line tubes 101 and the rear line tubes 101 are alternately formed with the louvers 103 in a longitudinal direction of the plate fin 100. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the tubes has circular cross-section.
However, in the conventional plate-fin type heat exchanger shown in FIGS. 4 through 6, the clearance holding portions 105 are formed at the upstream side of the louvers 103 in the air flowing direction, and therefore, air flow is disturbed by the clearance holding portion 105 before air flows into the louvers 103. The louvers 103 are used for distributing air boundary layer caused when air passing through the clearances of the plate fins and for increasing the heat exchange efficiency. When the air flow is disturbed by the clearance holding portion 105 before air flows into the louvers 103, the louvers 103 cannot obtain sufficient effects. Further, because the clearance holding portions 105 are formed at upstream and downstream sides of the louvers 103 in the air flowing direction W, the louvers 103 cannot extend to edge portions of the plate fins 100. Thus, it is difficult to increase the number of louvers 103 for improving the heat exchange efficiency.


Disclosed is a method of installing bathroom accessories such as towel racks on the walls of a bathroom. The method includes the following primary steps: revising accessories if said accessories lack horizontal wall fastener apertures to provide that they have at least one such aperture, selecting a location to place an accessory and marking it, drilling a fine opening at each mark to determine whether a wall stud is disposed at such opening, drilling a big enough hole to accommodate an expansion anchor collapsed end at each fine opening where no wall stud has been located, locating the accessory at that point, inserting fasteners into each aperture using a screw if a wall stud was found at that opening and using an expansion anchor at the other locations, tightening the fasteners while inserting any central element such as a towel bar, completing tightening, and covering each fastener with a cover cap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of a method of the attachment of bathroom accessories to bathroom walls. The present method simplifies this process, speeds it up thereby reducing labor and uses fewer parts. It is, therefore, less expensive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A significant aspect of the prior art is provided by the apparatus being sold at the time of the writing of this application. The present invention concerns a method, not an apparatus, but the form of the presently sold prior art apparatus teaches the method by which it is necessarily installed. These days there is no known bathroom accessories being sold which use horizontal fasteners in the absence of mounting plates and set screws. In contrast the present invention eliminates mounting plates, mounting plate fasteners, templates, and set screws as a major part of the simplification of the installation method.
The presently sold bathroom accessories require the installer to first locate a mounting position and then use a template to locate a position for attaching to the wall a mounting plate in the vicinity of each portion of the accessory to be attached to the wall. Thus a towel rack or toilet paper holder each have a bracket to be attached to the wall at each end, thereby requiring the installer to position at least two mounting plates and then attach each of them to the wall with a plurality of fasteners for each of these accessories. Thereafter, each bracket is hung on an upper lip of the mounting plate, and then a set screw on the underside of each bracket must be threaded into a lower lip of the mounting plate and tightened. The latter step is very awkward. In the case of a toilet paper holder between the side of a toilet bowl and the wall, seeing the two set screws that have downwardly facing heads and tightening them in an upward direction is not a simple matter.
The present invention greatly simplifies the installation method by eliminating the mounting plates, the mounting plates fasteners, the templates, and the set screws. Beside each accessory, there is only one or two primary fasteners.
While fasteners are a necessary component of both the present invention and the prior art, and thus contribute nothing to the issue of patentabilty of the present invention, it is useful to understand the types of fasteners that are relevant to the description of the invention. It is also useful to review the terminology used in the industry that will be employed in this application. In the United States, residential interior walls are usually comprised of wall board, also called drywall or sheet rock, although there are some, particularly older structures, that are comprised of lath and plaster.
It is assumed for purposes of this application that all residential interior walls are hollow and supported by interior studs. Therefore, drilling into residential interior walls results in reaching either a hollow area or a stud. Reaching a stud results in being able to use a simple fastener such as a screw. Reaching a hollow area dictates the use of expandable fasteners, also described as anchors, or "molly bolts." These include the following fasteners: winged plastic anchor, plug anchor, expansion anchor, drive-in expansion anchor, toggle bolt, winged nylon toogle anchor, strap toggle anchor, a wedge anchor, and the like. For purposes of this application, all expandable fasteners will be referred to as "expansion anchors." All fasteners that include both expansion anchors and conventional fasteners will be simply referred to as "fasteners."
A preexamination search of the prior art revealed an amazing amount of complexity in apparatus used for mounting bathroom accessories. Illustrative of that are three references herewith briefly described. The first of these is Bauer, U.S. Pat. No. 7,641,161 for "Bathroom Accessory Mounting Assembly and Method of Mounting" described therein is a mounting assembly that includes a mounting bracket, fastener, flange and post. The mounting bracket includes an axially extending body portion that receives the post.
The mounting bracket includes a snap flange that cooperates with the post to secure the post to the mounting bracket.
The second reference is Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 8,382,051 for a "Wall-Mounted Support Assembly for Bath Accessories". It describes mounting bracket, a fastener assembly adapted to a fixed mounting bracket to a wall board, and accessory post assembly including an accessory post assembly including an accessory post and a post adapter commonly affixed to the accessory post, the accessory post including a wall defining essential body and a distal portion extending axially from the end of central body, the distal portion configured to support a bathroom accessory, etc. The complexity of this is shown by the fact that it required 20 drawing figures to adequately described it for patent purposes.
The third reference is Austin, I I I et al. U.S. Patent Publication Number US2014/0026402 for a "Hardware Mounting Bracket Assembly and Hardware". Is described as bracket body adapted to be mounted to a support surface, with a rigid retainer provided on one of the bracket body to receive hardware supported thereon, with at least on elongate biasing retainer on another end of the bracket body spaced apart from the rigid retainer to engaged hardware supported thereon and to provide a loaded surface contact with hardware supported thereon. Once again, complexity can be seen in the drawings which required 10 drawing figures to describe it. By contrast the present invention requires only one screw or expansion anchor for each bracket and eliminates such parts as set screws, templates, mounting plates, and mounting plate fasteners for each bracket. Therefore, mounting a towel bar requires only two fasteners comprised of either screws or expansion anchors depending on the wall content thus reducing the expense of the product, reducing the number of parts, reducing the number of steps in the mounting method, and simplifying the complexity of the steps in the method.

Method of installation of bathroom accessories


A pouch pack having a pressure outlet and a main body which is formed of two opposedly facing sheets with a sealing region thermally fused in a hermetic manner by a heating pressure mold designed for thermally pressing a target sealing region and defines a storage space inside thereof. The pressure outlet is integrally formed on the sealing region of the main body and opens under pressure to discharge a content kept within the storage space. As a cavity is formed in a part of the heating pressure mold, only a corresponding region of the cavity experiences a reduced heating temperature and reduced pressure while the sealing region is being thermally fused, so that the pressure outlet and the sealing region can be formed at the same time to therefore substantially reduce the amount of time required for the manufacturing process, with the pressure outlet being open precisely under pressure.

In general, pouch packs are widely used to hermetically pack skincare products, such as skin lotions, skin creams, and essences, and hair care products, such as shampoos and rinses, or hermetically pack food, such as various sources and beverages, or hermetically pack medicines, such as oriental medicine extracts or gel type medicines.
However, the pouch packs are manufactured by completely thermal-bonding the edges of two sheets of heatproof synthetic resin overlapping each other such that a package space is formed therein in the related art, such that it is required to open the pouch pack by cutting off a portion of the pouch pack in order to use the substance therein.
A pouch pack with a pressing outlet that is opened when pressure above predetermined pressure is applied has been proposed in the related art, in which the pressing outlet formed in the pouch pack of the related art is formed by semi-sealing (also called 'semi-thermal bonding').
It is required to primarily thermally bond the other sealed portions, except for the pressing outlet, of two sheets of heatproof sheet or two sheets of metal overlapping each other such that they are completely bonded, and then secondarily semi-seal only the pressing outlet, in order to manufacture the pouch pack with a pressing outlet according to the related art.
Therefore, according to the method of manufacturing the pouch pack with a pressing outlet of the related art, since it is required to seal the sealed portions except for the pressing outlet by thermal bonding and then apply semi-thermal bonding for forming the pressing outlet, there was a problem that it takes too long time to perform the entire process, particularly, it is difficult to arrange a hot-press mold to the accurate position of the pressing outlet when semi-sealing the pressing outlet, such that defects are generated in the products.
Further, since the semi-sealing is also to completely bonding the two sheets of heatproof resin or two sheets of metal by heating them, there was a problem that the pressing outlet is not fully opened even if the pouch pack is pressed.


A diving board lift assembly for lifting a diving board from a substantially horizontal diving position to a substantially upright position is provided. The diving board having a diving end and a hinged end with the hinged end hingedly connected to a diving board support member. In accordance with the present invention, a lifting mechanism is provided to lift the diving end of the diving board to the substantially upright position.

The present invention relates to diving board systems used in connection with swimming pools; in particular, it relates to a lifting mechanism for a diving board to move the diving board from a substantially horizontal diving position to a substantially upright position.
Diving board systems generally include a diving board having a diving end and a secured end with the diving board being hingedly fastened to an anchored support at the secured end. The diving end is preferably positioned adjacent the edge of or over a swimming pool or area. An intermediate support is placed beneath the diving board between the diving end and the anchored end to act as a fulcrum point thereby allowing vertical movement of the diving end. Such vertical movement allows the diver to "spring" into the air to attempt or complete the diver's dive.
Placement of the diving board is critical in that locating a diving board over an area of the swimming pool which is too shallow could result in severe bodily injury to the diver. Therefore, diving boards in many swimming pools are generally located at or near the deepest end of the swimming pool.
In many situations, swimming pools are used for additional activities besides recreational swimming and diving. One of these additional activities includes swim racing. Sometimes it is possible to locate diving boards away from the area of swimming pools in which swimming races are conducted thereby allowing diving activities and swim racing to continue in different areas simultaneously.
While positioning diving boards away from the swim racing area allows more activities to be scheduled at one swimming pool at the same time, due to space and budget constraints, many swimming pool operators must place the diving boards in an area which also must be used for swim racing. Additionally, in many swim races, especially those which require a swim racer to begin the race facing the water, the use of racing starting platforms is required. Racing starting platforms are generally positioned at the edge of the swimming pool and include a stage which is elevated approximately two to three feet above the water level. At the beginning of the race, the swim racer stands on the stage until a starting signal is sounded to indicate the beginning of the race. When the signal sounds, the swim racer begins the swim race by diving into the swimming pool.
Poolside placement of the racing starting platform is generally regulated by municipalities and other local government entities which operate or govern the swimming pools. These regulations generally require that racing starting platforms be located at or near the deepest end of the swimming pool; the same area as the location of the diving boards. Therefore, in order to position the racing starting platforms at the same end of the swimming pool as the diving boards, the diving boards must be either removed or the diving end of the diving board must be manually raised to a position which does not conflict with the positioning of the racing starting platform.
Physically removing the diving board from its support requires extensive time and labor. Likewise, manually lifting a diving board requires several persons, due to the weight of the diving board, to position themselves at the edge of the pool and to lift the diving end of the diving board upward. The precarious location near the edge of the swimming pool, usually being wet and somewhat slippery, requires that the persons lifting the diving board be extremely careful. In addition, most diving boards extend over the swimming pool thereby requiring the persons lifting the board to position themselves adjacent the approximate center of the diving board rather than directly at the diving end where lifting a hinged object such as a diving board would be more appropriate.
As the persons lift the diving board, the diving end of the diving board travels upward, the persons lifting must continue to move their hands down the diving board. Once the diving board is substantially vertical, the persons lifting the diving board must now manipulate the diving board down over the top to a position away from the edge of the swimming pool such that the anchored support is between the diving board and the swimming pool. Here, the diving board either must lean against a wall or lay on the flooring surrounding the swimming pool.
Lifting and maneuvering a diving board in the above-discussed fashion is strenuous and physically difficult. Injuries are common due to the awkward and compromising positions the persons lifting the diving board must assume. Additionally, once the diving board has been lifted, its resting position against a wall or on the floor is extremely dangerous since a person could strike or trip over the diving board thereby causing potentially severe injuries.

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Arrangements described herein relate to inserting implicit sequence points into computer program code to support debug operations. Optimization of the computer program code can be performed during compilation of the computer program code and, during the optimization, implicit sequence points can be inserted into the computer program code. The implicit sequence points can be configured to provide virtual reads of symbols contained in the computer program code when the implicit sequence points are reached during execution of the computer program code during a debug operation performed on the computer program code after the computer program code is optimized and compiled.

An optimizing compiler is a compiler configured to optimize attributes of an executable computer program code to achieve a particular goal. One optimization technique commonly implemented is to optimize a computer program to minimize the amount of time it takes to execute the computer program during operation. Another optimization technique commonly implemented is to minimize the amount of memory utilized by the computer program during operation.
There are several levels of optimization that a user can specify when compiling a computer program. For example, the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) specifies a number optimization levels. With level 0 (o0), no optimization is performed. With level 1 (o1) optimization, most common forms of optimization that do not require any speed-space tradeoffs are implemented. Accordingly, the executable typically does not increase in size. With level 2 (o2) optimization, in addition to the optimizations used in level 1, further optimizations are implemented, including instruction scheduling. Again, the executable typically does not increase in size when level 2 optimization is used. With level 3 (o3) optimization, in addition to the optimizations used in level 1 and level 2, more expensive optimizations (in terms of memory usage), such as function inlining, are used. Level 3 optimization may increase the speed of the resulting executable, but also may increase its size. Under some circumstances, for example where these optimizations are not favorable, level 3 optimization may actually cause a program to execute slower. Other optimizations, such as loop-unrolling and size reduction optimizations sometimes also are used.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Inserting implicit sequence points into computer program code to support debug operations

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A method is disclosed for forking call audio channels. The method includes, during an active call, receiving a first audio stream of first call audio that originates from a far-end telephony device, and receiving a second audio stream of second call audio that originates from a microphone of a near-end headset. Further, the method includes generating, during the active call, a third audio stream containing the first call audio by processing the first audio stream, and generating a fourth audio stream containing the second call audio by processing the second audio stream. Still yet, the method includes, during the active call, generating a fifth audio stream containing the first call audio, and generating a sixth audio stream containing the second call audio. In addition, the method includes, during the active call, concurrently transmitting: the third audio stream, the fourth audio stream, the fifth audio stream, and the sixth audio stream.

This background section is provided for the purpose of generally describing the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor(s), to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Current methods for recording call center conversations are largely restricted to trunk-side recording, extension-side recording, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) recording. In trunk-side recording, phone calls are recorded at the point where calls come in from a phone provider. Trunk-side recording renders it difficult to identify calls based on an internal extension, and to monitor calls in real-time. In extension-side recording, phone calls are recorded at each internal extension. Extension-side recording systems suffer from compatibility issues, and can be extremely expensive. VoIP recording is further broken down into three primary types: central active recording, gateway-side passive VoIP recording, and station-side passive voice recording. In central active recording, recording can occur anywhere in an Internet Protocol (IP)-based network by initiating a third-party conference into the call that is recorded. In gateway-side passive VoIP recording, the calls are tapped at a gateway or router, at the edge of a customer's network, and may rely on the analysis of network traffic to identify calls. In station-side passive voice recording, the calls are tapped by a recorder at the network connection for each phone. In practice, these call recording solutions rely on, and are closely tied to, the call center's VoIP or PBX infrastructure. As a result, the selection of a call recording mechanism may be dictated by the previously-installed infrastructure. Further, installation of these systems may be complex or disruptive to the work environment, and, once installed, may be associated with prohibitively expensive licensing costs.

Forking transmit and receive call audio channels


A magnetic recording/reproducing device including a top cover having a plurality of leg portions 1e with cutouts that project from each side face of the top cover such that the location of a leg portion at one side face does not correspond to the location of a leg portion at the other side face; and a bottom cover having a plurality of retaining portions 2e in correspondence with the leg portions 1e at each side face of the lower cover formed by bending portions of the side faces. The top cover and the bottom cover are integrally engaged together by fitting the retaining portions into the cutouts of their corresponding leg portions. A plurality of top covers are successively press-cut from a metal plate such that a leg portion of a particular top cover is positioned between the leg portions of another top cover that is adjacent to the particular top cover, thus reducing the amount of scraps produced from the metal plate. Accordingly, the invention makes it possible to produce a magnetic recording/reproducing device at a lower cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproducing device, and, more particularly, to a magnetic recording/reproducing device in which a mechanism body, including the chassis, is covered with a pair of top and bottom covers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a magnetic recording/reproducing device for recording information onto or reproducing information from a magnetic disk incorporated in a disk cartridge, the mechanism body, formed into a unitary structure based on the chassis, is interposed between the top cover and bottom cover and integrally engaged therewith, whereby the mechanism body is covered by both the upper and bottom covers.
FIGS. 50 and 51 each illustrate a conventional example of such a magnetic recording/reproducing device. Referring to the figures, the top cover 100 has a flat top face 100a and a pair of side faces 100b that extend vertically downward from the side edges of the top face 100a. The side faces 100b are formed by bending portions of the top cover 100 vertically with respect to the top face 100a. Two leg portions 100c project downwardly from a lower end of one of the side faces 100b, with horizontally extending slits 100d formed in the leg portions 100c. In the same way, two leg portions 100c with slits 100d are formed at the lower end of the other side face 100b. The leg portions are formed on corresponding locations on the left and right side faces.
The bottom cover 101 has a flat bottom face 101a, and a pair of side faces 101b extending upright from both edges of the bottom face 101a. The side faces 101b are formed by bending portions of the bottom cover 101 vertically with respect to the bottom face 101a. Each of the side faces 101b has a pair of retainer portions 101c, which are formed in corresponding locations. The retainer portions 101c are formed by bending portions along horizontal lines of the side faces 101b inwardly and vertically with respect to the side faces 101b. Through holes 101d are formed in the retainer portions 101c.
The chassis 102 has a flat bottom face 102a, and a pair of side faces 102b extending upright from the side edges of the bottom face 102a. A screw receiving portion 102c is formed in an upper end of one of the side faces 102b. The mechanism body, including the loading mechanism and means for moving the head (not shown), is placed on the chassis 102. The mechanism body is formed into a unitary structure based on the chassis 102. A printed board (not shown) is fixed to the lower surface of the chassis 102, and has mounted thereon circuits for driving the mechanism body and a connector.
The top cover 100 and the bottom cover 101, and the chassis 102 are formed by punching out predetermined shapes from a metal blank sheet such as an iron plate, and bending the punched shapes.
In assembling the magnetic recording/reproducing device, the chassis 102 is placed on the retainer portions 101 of the bottom cover 101, and a screw 104 is inserted from the bottom face 101a side through each through hole 101d and screwed into the chassis 102, so as to fix the chassis 102 of the mechanism body within the bottom cover 101. Then, the top cover 100 is placed over the bottom cover 101 and moved horizontally in order to fit the retainer portions 101c into their corresponding slits 100d in the leg portions 100c, as a result of which the top cover 100 is retained by the bottom cover 101. A different screw 105 is then screwed from the outside of the top face 100a into a screw receiving portion 102c in order to fix the top cover 100 to the chassis 102. As a result, the top cover 100 and the bottom cover 101 are integrally engaged with each other via the chassis 102, so as to accommodate the mechanism body therein. In this case, a connector mounted onto the printed board is disposed inside an opening formed in a rear end where the upper and bottom covers 100 and 101 engage each other. In addition, the magnetic recording/reproducing device, while being incorporated in an external device of a computer body or the like, is electrically connected to the external device by inserting the external connector of the external device from the opening at the rear end where the covers engage each other, and connecting it to the connector on the printed board.
In the above-described conventional magnetic recording/reproducing device, however, the leg portions 100c of the top cover 100 are formed in corresponding positions on each side face 100b, so that when a plurality of top covers 100 are successively press-cut from the same metal blank sheet, the sides 100b of two adjacent top covers 100 must be separated by a distance greater than the total sum of the lengths of the leg portion 100c of one of the top cover 100 and its adjacent top cover 100, thus resulting in material wastage that prevents cost reduction.
In addition, since the top cover 100 is retained by the bottom cover 101 by fitting the retainer portion 100c into the slit 100d in the leg portion 100c in the direction of plate thickness of the retainer portion 101c, it becomes difficult to fit the retainer portion 101c into the slit 100d, unless the retainer portion 101c is accurately positioned with respect to its corresponding slit 100d along the vertical dimension. However, the height of the retainer portion 101c depends on the degree of its perpendicularity with respect to the side face of the bottom cover 101, so that unless the retainer portion 101c is made perpendicular to the side face, many processing difficulties result. Further, variations in the height of the retainer portions 101 occur easily, resulting in the problem that the chassis tilts when placed on the retainer portions 101c.
In addition, the bottom cover 101 and the chassis 102 are fixed to each other with a plurality of screws 104, and the top cover 100 and the chassis 102 are fixed to each other by a different screw 105, so that a larger number of screws must be screwed, which prevents cost reduction.
In the above-described conventional magnetic recording/reproducing device, the mechanism, formed into a unitary structure, and the printed board are covered by a pair of covers from above and below the mechanism and the printed board, resulting in the problems that the overall weight of the device and material costs cannot be reduced due to the use of two covers. In addition, upon integral engagement of both covers, the mounting position of the stepping motor, being the driving source for the mechanism for moving the head, is sometimes slightly adjusted. However, since the stepping motor is disposed inside an opening at the rear end where both covers engage each other, the adjustment is troublesome to carry out.
To overcome such problems, the front-to-back side dimension of the top cover is be made shorter than that of the bottom cover in order to expose the connector and the stepping motor through the top cover. In this case, the top cover does not have to cover the connector and the stepping motor, thus reducing material costs for the top cover by an amount corresponding to the reduced dimension, and allowing adjustment of the stepping motor to be performed more simply in a larger space. However, since the region around the connector is open space, there is no longer a positioning standard for inserting an external connector to the connector, so that it becomes troublesome to connect the external connector to the connector.

Cover structure for magnetic recording and reproducing device


A method is disclosed that includes sending (304) a first full header from a source compressor (106) to a destination decompressor (112) wherein the source compressor and the destination decompressor are a part of a symmetrical configuration. An IP packet including the full header is compressed into a first compressed header (310) based on the context established in the first full header. The first compressed header is sent (312) from the source compressor to the destination decompressor. The compressor receives (322) a second full header from the destination compressor wherein the second full header indicates that the destination decompressor did not receive the first full header. The second full header can include a modified field or has an incremented generation identification. The source compressor sends (336) another full header to the destination decompressor.

There are many varieties of header compression including RFC 2507 header compression. Header compression provides numerous advantages on low- or medium-speed links. These advantages include improving interactive response times, allowing the use of small packets for bulk data with good line efficiency, allowing the use of small packets for delay sensitive low data-rate traffic, decreasing header overhead and reducing packet loss rate over lossy links. Headers that can be compressed include TCP, UDP, IPv4 and IPv6 base and extension headers. For non-TCP headers such as UDP/IP headers, compression slow-start and periodic header refreshes permit periods of packet discard after loss of a header that changes the context. There are hooks for adding header compression schemes on top of UDP.
Header compression relies on many fields being constant or changing seldomly in consecutive fields belonging to the same packet stream. The general principle of header compression is to occasionally send a packet with a full header and subsequent compressed headers refer to the context established by the full header and may contain incremental changes to the context. An uncompressed header updates or refreshes the context for a packet stream. It carries a context identification that will be used to identify the context for the packet stream. Full headers for non-TCP packet streams also carry the generation of the context they update or refresh using a generation identification.
An issue with header compression and header compression using RFC 2507 is that the packet containing the full header can be lost between the source and the destination, which is more likely in wireless mobile environments. If the full header is lost, all other packets in the stream will still be compressed by the source but the destination cannot decompress the compressed stream because it has no information to understand the compression.
Recovery mechanisms are known for lost header compression information within RFC 2507 and other header compression techniques. One mechanism is to refresh the context by sending a full header after X packets or Y period of time. These mechanisms, however, are not optimal. If X or Y are too large, then many undecodable messages are sent from the source and the destination such that time and data is lost. On the other hand if X and Y are too small, then there is not much compression because full headers are being sent more often.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide an efficient mechanism for refreshing full headers between and a source and a destination to optimize the benefits of header compression.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.


The upper end of a static gas bearing member of a wafer side seal unit is connected to an edge section on the outgoing side of an exposure beam of a chamber in an air tight state via bellows, and the lower end surface is in a state forming a predetermined clearance with a wafer and a wafer holder. By this arrangement, the inside of the chamber is isolated from the outside. Accordingly, it becomes possible to maintain a vacuum environment in the periphery of the optical path of the exposure beam without arranging a vacuum chamber to house a wafer, a wafer holder, and a wafer stage, which allows the size of the entire exposure apparatus to be reduced, and also makes it easy to have access to the vicinity of the wafer stage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to movable body apparatus, exposure apparatus and optical system units, and more particularly to a movable body apparatus that is equipped with a movable body which moves holding an object, an exposure apparatus that irradiates an energy beam on the object via an optical system and forms a predetermined pattern on the object and an optical system unit suitable for use in the exposure apparatus, and a device manufacturing method using the exposure apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, in a lithography process to produce a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display or the like, a projection exposure apparatus by the step-and-repeat method (the so-called stepper) or a projection exposure apparatus by the step-and-scan method (the so-called scanner) is mainly used that transfers a pattern formed on a mask or a reticle (hereinafter generally referred to as a "reticle") onto a substrate (hereinafter also appropriately referred to as a "wafer") such as a wafer or a glass plate on which a resist or the like is coated via a projection optical system.
In these exposure apparatus, further improvement of resolution of the projection optical system is becoming required due to higher integration and finer patterns in a semiconductor device. Therefore, the wavelength of the exposure light is becoming shorter year by year, and recently, development of an EUV exposure apparatus (EUVL) which uses an SOR (Synchrotron Orbital Radiation) ring, a laser plasma light source or the like that generates an extreme ultraviolet light (EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) light) of 100 nm or less as the exposure light source is underway.
In the EUV exposure apparatus, because there are no optical materials at present having a suitable transmittance to EUV light, an optical system of total reflection consisting of only reflection type optical members (catoptric elements) is employed as the projection optical system and the illumination optical system, and a reflection type reticle is also used as the reticle. Further, because the EUV light is absorbed by most materials, the optical path space of the EUV light needs to be set in a predetermined high vacuum state, and the EUV exposure apparatus main section is usually installed in a vacuum chamber (refer to, for example, Kokai (Japanese Patent Unexamined Application) No. 2005-276932 bulletin).
However, when the whole exposure apparatus is placed in a vacuum chamber, the size of the whole apparatus will increase and it will also take a lot of time to set the inside of the vacuum chamber to a vacuum environment. Further, because access to the apparatus in the vacuum chamber from the outside is relatively difficult, maintenance operation will take a lot of time and effort. Further, there are cases when the vacuum chamber is deformed by a difference in pressure inside and outside the vacuum chamber, and by the deformation, positional relation of each section of the exposure apparatus may fluctuate, which may cause a decrease in the exposure precision.
Further, also in the EUV exposure apparatus, in order to improve the exposure accuracy, it is desirable to measure the surface position information of the wafer and the reticle and perform exposure operation taking into consideration the measurement results, as in the optical exposure apparatus.

Movable body apparatus, exposure apparatus and optical system unit, and device manufacturing method


A hollow plastic part may include at least two plastic shells connected with one another at a respective edge along at least one joining plane. Each plastic shell may have at least a first component and a second component, wherein the plastic of the first component may have a lower melting temperature than the plastic of the second component. The first component may extend on at least one plastic shell in a caterpillar-like manner along at least part of the respective edge of the second component of this plastic shell.

A generic hollow plastic part is known from EP 1 573 195 B1, which is composed of two plastic shells. These two plastic shells are welded together over a respective edge along a joining plane to produce the hollow plastic part, wherein each of the plastic shells has at least a first and a second component. The first component is constructed here in the form of a half pipe, whilst the second component forms a part of a bellows.
Further hollow plastic parts are known for example from EP 1 777 061 A2 and from EP 1 777 062 A2.


A scanning transmission electron microscope system includes: an annular dark-field detector; an electron energy loss spectroscopic apparatus configured to acquire an electron energy loss spectroscopy spectrum of a first electron beam from the annular dark-field detector; and an image processing apparatus configured to generate a first STEM image based on an output signal from the annular dark-field detector and generate a second STEM image based on an integrated value of the electron energy loss spectroscopy spectrum.

In the techniques of acquiring high-resolution images using an electron microscope, such a technique has been developed in which all elements are detected to acquire images. By using the high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF STEM) method, relatively heavy elements are detected. By using the annular bright-field STEM (ABF STEM) method, heavy elements and light elements are simultaneously imaged at an atomic level.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2013-41761 or a non-patent document Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 101, p. 133107 discloses an example of related art.

Scanning transmission electron microscope system, image processing method, and image processing apparatus


A hex-axis horizontal movement dynamic simulator is aimed at Modular Design without hydraulic or pneumatic system but which were conventionally used in the so called Stewart Platform; this dynamic simulator comprises three sets of movement control unit with symmetrical structure located at the positions relative to each other forming three sides of an equilateral triangle, and a load-carrying platform which connected to the three movement control by means of three sets of universal-joint yoke mechanism each relative position located on the load-carrying platform are each other arranged to form as three sides of an equilateral triangle too; with this type of arrangement, this dynamic simulator have a 6-degree of freedom motion when a sets of movement control unit makes different rectilinear motion, the load-carrying platform will generate a combination of spatial translation motion and angular motion.

An early structure of a 6-degrees-of-freedom motion simulating platform was proposed by the Englishman Steward and is customarily called the Stewart Platform. For a long time, there was no significant improvement in the design of the Stewart Platform, which employed a hydraulic or pneumatic system to achieve the effect of changing the length of an actuating rod by varying the stroke of a cylinder rod to enable 6-degrees-of-freedom spatial motion. Moreover, since the parts and components comprising the conventional Stewart Platform were not modular in design and oil and air leakage problems occasionally occurred with the hydraulic and pneumatic systems, the Stewart Platform was inconvenient and required substantial maintenance.

Hex-axis horizontal movement dynamic simulator


The invention is directed to content bearing mediums having a capacity to receive additional content and systems and methods for updating and presenting content recorded on a content bearing medium, e.g., video cassette tape, CD or DVD, digital memory, game cartridges. In one aspect of the invention, a content bearing medium is provided. The content bearing medium has a content bearing signal stored thereon and a communication circuit. The communication circuit is adapted to exchange wireless signals with a remote programming device and to store an additional content bearing signal in a memory based upon the signals exchanged. The communication circuit is further adapted to transmit the additional content signals upon request by a player of the content bearing medium so that the player can receive the additional content signals and present an output that is based, at least in part, upon the stored signals.

Content bearing mediums such as digital versatile discs, compact discs, video and audio tape cassettes, preprogrammed electronic memories such as memories of the type used in video game cartridges and the like are commonly used to store and transport relatively large compilations of prerecorded audio, video, and data signals that can be used to record content such as, movies, television programming, software, games, and data compilations. Such content bearing mediums provide an inexpensive and lightweight medium for conveying such large compilations. However, to conserve costs, the producers of content bearing mediums typically prepare such content bearing mediums in large batch processes. Frequently however, it can occur that after production of a batch of such content bearing mediums, it becomes advantageous to change or add to the content that has been recorded thereon.
There are a variety of reasons for which it may become desirable to adjust the content recorded on the content bearing mediums after the content has originally been stored thereon. For example, one popular form of recreational activity is to rent movies that are recorded on videocassettes or DVDs. The producers of such items often incorporate previews of other movies, advertising contest information, and promotions for other products and services onto rented items as a form of advertising. Digital versatile disc players typically present these previews in advance of the presentation of the main attraction. The intent of such presentations is to entice the renters of the currently presented item such as a DVD to rent the previewed attraction or to participate in the promotion. However, it will be appreciated that, as the rented item ages, the usefulness of the previewed presentation of the previewed is reduced. This can occur because the previewed attraction itself, may appear less relevant or less interesting. Accordingly, a valuable advertising opportunity is lost where the previewed attraction portion of the DVD is not up graded.
In particular, an example of the problems with renting aged items from a store, such as a video store, is that information concerning the product or manufacturer is out of date, i.e., ads and coupons have expired, contests have long since completed and movie previews, often referred to as trailers, are often quite old and are for movies the customer has already seen. Such old information is not only an inconvenience for the customer, who may often skip this information entirely, but also inconvenient to store owner who has lost an opportunity for further sales. Further, it is inconvenient for the customer to have to ask about any updated information upon rental or purchase of the video cassette, DVD or video game cartridge, and equally inconvenient for the retail clerk to have to retrieve and printout the information for the customer.
Similarly, it can arise after the content has been batch recorded on a plurality of content bearing mediums, last-minute changes, fixes, alterations, or supplements to the content may become necessary. However, the process for updating such content bearing mediums can be a difficult and expensive process. There are a variety of reasons for this. For example, many forms of content bearing mediums cannot be rewritten or can only be written/rewritten where the content is recorded on a rewritable form of medium. Typically, such rewriteable forms of medium are substantially more expensive than a non-rewriteable form of the same medium. Even where a rewritable medium is used, it can be difficult to incorporate previews having different running times and other characteristics onto a mediums without causing the entire medium to be rewritten which increases the time required to update content and the costs associated with doing so. Further, the characteristics of many types of rewriteable mediums can make it time consuming to rewrite content.
In many circumstances, the need to update content stored on a content bearing medium is not always apparent until after the content bearing medium has been packaged. For example, music, video and computer software content are often recorded on mediums that are packaged in a shrink-wrapped or theft deterrent packaging. At such a time, it becomes extremely expensive to unpackage the content, to rewrite content recorded on such mediums and to repackage the content.
In response to this, many types of software include an automatic update feature that causes the programmable device to automatically search on the Internet to determine whether such updates are necessary and to download these over the Internet where appropriate. A variety conditions can cause this process to fail. Accordingly, it is preferable to associate information from which such changes can be made with the medium before the first retail sale of the same.
Thus what is needed, is a cost-effective method for remotely adjusting for updating content recorded on a content bearing medium and a content bearing medium that is adapted to enable such adjustment.
There have been several attempts to remedy these drawbacks, such as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,187 to Otto, which discloses a system of using an RFID label on a product from another store to develop pricing and promotional information regarding that product for the retailer and provide that information to the purchaser of the product. The system and method of Otto unfortunately provides information that may be desirable to the purchaser after a purchase has been made which is inconvenient for the purchaser who must decide whether to purchase the item (mostly at a reduced cost) and return the previously purchased same item to the place of purchase.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,441 to Woolley et al, which is hereby incorporated by reference, provides an extensive discussion of the use of single and multiple RFID labels on individual or bulk products to control the movement of the individual product or bulk products as well as develop inventory control information of the individual or bulk products. This system while providing extensive information to a product manufacturer, transporter and retailer, does not utilize the RFID labels to store information, such as recent movie trailers or product usage video, coupons, promotions and advertisements which can be given to the customer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,217 to Catan, which is also hereby incorporated by reference, teaches a system and method of attaching RFID labels to receipts, such as movie stubs, which permits the user, at a kiosk, to rate the movie, view the movie maker's website to purchase items, such as a soundtrack, receive discount coupons to future movies or other free gift. The system and method of Catan, like that of Otto, requires the product (movie ticket) to be purchased before use and does not provide the user with the ability to easily view the latest movie trailers for the same movie or other movies.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,577,861 and 6,512,919 to Ogasawara, teach a system and method of bringing product information to a customer while shopping wherein a wireless telephone is used that has a bar code scanner attached thereto. The customer, upon entering the store, dials the store shopping service to receive a wireless download of the shopping program and the begins shopping by scanning the item's bar code label. The completion of the sale of the item is completed at a point of sale terminal using the product information stored in the cellular phone memory. While this service uses a bar code reader system, it does not provide the customer with the ability to be informed about video information available for the product to the customer.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,613,190, 5,793,413 and 5,630,204 to Hylton, disclose a system and method of delivering user selected video programming to a customer via a wireless transmitter and a plurality of receivers in a customer's home. While this system provide a customer with flexibility with regard to broadcast video programs and movies, the system does not provide the customer to seek viewing information from the product information on an RFID attached to the a video cassette, DVD or video game cartridge.
Therefore, there is still a need for a simpler, cost-effective system, device and method for updating a content bearing medium that can ease or eliminate the shortcomings of the prior art and the problems faced by the customer wishing to view the latest information regarding a product, i.e., movie trailers, product instructional use, promotional items, discount coupons or safety videos.

System for updating a content bearing medium


DNA involved in the bacterial gene expression of carbapenem antibiotics comprising: a) at least one of the genes carA, carB, carC, carD, carE, carF, carG, carH, b) DNA capable of hybridizing to any of the genes defined in a) and capable of functioning as such genes in the biosynthetic pathway of a carbapenem, c) DNA which is a) or b) above by virtue of the degeneracy of the genetic code. Polypeptides encoded by such DNA.

The carbapenem antibiotics constitute a diverse group of .beta.-lactam antibiotics characterised by potent anti-bacterial and .beta.-lactamase-resistant activity. More than forty different carbapenems are known, most of which are produced by the actinomycetes, particularly Streptomyces spp (Ratcliffe and Albers-Schonberg, 1982; Brown 1984; Williamson 1986; all cited in Baiton et al 1992).
Carbapenems have been isolated from the Gram-negative bacterium Serratia marcescens and Erwinia carotovora by Parker et al. (1982) and in Azospirillum spp UK 1521 by Kintaka et al. (1985); all cited in Bainton et al 1992.
Bainton et al (1992) have recently shown that carbapenem biosynthesis is regulated by the regulatory factor N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (known as HSL or OHHL). This compound was previously only known for its role in auto-induction of bioluminescence in the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri. OHHL is also structurally related to the A- and I-factors which are known to regulate production of antibiotics in some Streptomyces species.

Genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of carbapenem