The invention in general terms relates to an antenna device for a telecommunication station, able to transmit or receive a signal and comprising a plurality of radiating elements disposed in a periodic arrangement having at least one spatial periodicity. The device has antenna configuration means adapted to cause the value of the said spatial periodicity to vary according to the transmission conditions. The antenna device can in particular be configured so as to operate according to a beam shaping mode or according to a spatial diversity mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns in general terms an antenna device, notably for a telecommunication station, and more particularly an antenna device comprising a periodic arrangement of radiating elements.
2. Description of Related Art
Recent developments in antenna systems for mobile telephony have revealed an increasing interest in so-called xe2x80x9cintelligentxe2x80x9d antennae. Such an antenna consists of a array of elementary antennae with a pitch less than or equal to the half-wavelength of the transmission frequency, which can be used both for transmission and for reception. Depending on circumstances, the input or output signals of the elementary antennae are offset in phase and weighted so as to obtain the required radiation diagram. Thus, for example, an intelligent antenna equipping a base station can form a beam pointing in the direction of a mobile terminal and/or eliminate interference coming from a given direction.
There are also known mobile telephony systems referred to as spatial diversity systems for combating the fading in the signal due to propagation on multiple paths. These systems use a plurality of antennae, spaced apart typically by four to ten times the wavelength of the transmission frequency and taking advantage of the fact that the signals received by sufficiently distant antennae are decorrelated. Thus signals which have propagated on several paths as far as a first antenna (the first diversity branch) giving rise to destructive interference can on the other hand give rise to constructive interference at another antenna (the second diversity branch). The reception diversity is then exploited, for example, in that, at a given moment, the diversity branch giving the best signal to noise ratio (Selective Combining) is selected or the different branches are summed after they have been weighted by a gain equal to the conjugate complex of the complex attenuation coefficient on the branch under consideration (Maximal Ratio Combining).
The antenna arrays as mentioned above do not deal well with spatial diversity functioning since the signals received by two consecutive antennae are generally not sufficiently decorrelated. It can then be thought of increasing the pitch of the array, as proposed in the article by H. Yoshinaga et al. entitled xe2x80x9cPerformance of adaptive array antenna with widely spaced antenna elementsxe2x80x9d which appeared in the Proceedings of VTC ""99, pages 72-76. However, increasing the pitch inevitably introduces array lobes in the radiation diagram, which impairs the spatial selectivity of the system.
It is also known that mobile telecommunications systems use different transmission frequencies, typically 900 MHz and 1800 MHz for GSM systems, 2 GHz for future UMTS systems and even higher frequencies, probably in the 20-30 GHz band, for satellite mobile telephony. The antenna arrays being, as has been seen, designed for a given frequency, the intelligent antennae used for one generation in mobile telephony will not operate or will operate badly with the following generation. The operator must then, with each generation, bear the considerable cost of new equipment.
The aim of the invention is to propose an intelligent antenna which does not have the aforementioned drawbacks, namely allowing both the shaping of a beam and diversity reception and being able to adapt easily to a new mobile telephony.
To this end, the antenna device according to the invention comprises a plurality of radiating elements disposed in a periodic arrangement having at least one spatial periodicity, characterised in that it has antenna configuration means adapted to vary the value of the said spatial periodicity according to the transmission conditions.
According to a first characteristic of the invention, the antenna device comprises a beam shaper adapted to form a beam in at least a first direction using input signals to and/or output signals from radiating elements.
According to a second characteristic of the invention, the antenna device comprises at least one beam shaper adapted to reject an interfering signal in at least a second direction using the output signals from the radiating elements.
According to a third characteristic of the invention, the antenna device comprises a receiver or transmitter adapted to receive: or transmit in spatial diversity.
Another embodiment of the invention comprises a mixed system able to function either as a beam shaper or as a receiver in spatial diversity, the configuration means fixing the pitch of the array at a value less than or equal to a half-wavelength when the mixed system is functioning as a beam shaper and at a value substantially greater than the wavelength when it is functioning as a spatial diversity receiver.
Advantageously, the configuration means are adapted to place the antenna in an intermediate configuration without antenna processing during the phase of variation in the spatial periodicity.
Advantageously again, the configuration means comprise hysteresis or timing means able to eliminate unwanted changes in the said spatial periodicity.
According to a first variant of the invention, the configuration means comprise at least one rail in which the supports for the radiating elements can slide.
According to a second variant of the invention the radiating elements consist of a plurality of elementary antennae. The configuration means comprise a plurality of units adapted to weight and sum a set of output signals from adjacent elementary antennae, a switch directing certain output signals from the said units to the inputs of at least one beam shaper, the spatial periodicity of the radiating elements being modified by selecting the output signals from elementary antennae and the output signals from these units.
Advantageously, the transmission conditions are one or more characteristics of the transmission amongst the bit error rate, the packet error rate, the ratio between the power of the signal to noise plus interference, the quality of service and the power consumed by the transmitter responsible for the transmission.
Finally, the antenna device according to the invention can be integrated into a mobile terminal or a base station.

Reconfigurable antenna device for a telecommunication station


An apparatus including a flexible first member for removable attachment to a footwear device and a second member attached to the first member for interacting with the footwear device and being configured to sweep foreign objects away from and prevent entry of the foreign objects into an interior of the footwear device.

1. Field
The disclosed embodiments generally relate to footwear and, more particularly, to preventing debris from entering footwear.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
The recent development and construction of synthetic turf fields has expanded at an exceptional rate. Their popularity has created new problems for athletes, coaches, officials, athletic directors and custodians. One of the problems is that the rubber pellets, also known as "infill" or "rubber infill", used to provide the artificial soil for the turf grass, accumulate inside the cleats and turf shoes of all who venture out onto the field. These rubber pellets typically infiltrate the shoes along the seam where the shoe upper meets the sock or leg of the participant. This infiltration is pervasive and has been an unavoidable cost of playing on synthetic turf fields. The accumulation of rubber pellets in the bottom of one's shoes or other athletic footwear can produce, among other things, foot discomfort and pain, cause emotional irritability, reduce athletic performance, alter balance and create a mess in hallways and locker rooms.
It would be advantageous to provide a device to substantially prevent foreign objects or debris from entering the shoe, particularly through the seam where the shoe upper meets the sock or leg of the participant, without substantially altering or impairing the performance of the shoe or individual.


A prefocus lens section is formed by a screen electrode and an additional electrode. A main lens section is formed by a focus electrode, an anode electrode and an intermediate electrode that is disposed between the focus electrode and the anode electrode. Each of the focus electrode and the intermediate electrode has a cylindrical electrode on at least one of opposed faces thereof. The intermediate electrode and the anode electrode have cylindrical electrodes on opposed faces thereof. A voltage with a level higher than a focus voltage and lower than an anode voltage is applied to the additional electrode and the intermediate electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cathode-ray tube apparatus and more particularly to a color cathode-ray tube apparatus capable of improving an oval distortion of a beam spot, which is formed by an electron beam that is focused on a peripheral portion of a phosphor screen, and stably providing a high image quality with high resolution over the entire phosphor screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a self-convergence type in-line color cathode-ray tube apparatus comprises an in-line electron gun assembly for emitting three in-line electron beams, which travel on a horizontal plane. A dynamic focus type electron gun assembly, which is a type of in-line electron gun assembly, includes three in-line cathodes K, and first to fourth grids G1 to G4 that are successively arranged toward a phosphor screen, as shown in FIG. 17.
In this electron gun assembly, a voltage of about 190 V is applied to the cathodes K. The first grid G1 is grounded, and a voltage of about 800 V is applied to the second grid G2. A focus voltage of about 7 kV is applied to a first segment G3-1 of the third grid, and a reference voltage of about 7 kV is applied to a second segment G3-2 of the third grid. A high voltage of about 30 kV is applied to the fourth grid G4. An AC component, which varies in a parabolic fashion in accordance with a distance of deflection of an electron beam, is superimposed on the reference voltage that is applied to the second segment G3-2.
Thus, the cathodes K, first grid G1 and second grid G2 form an electron beam generating section that generates electron beams and forms an object point for the main lens. The second grid G2 and the third grid G3 form a prefocus lens that prefocuses the electron beams generated from the electron beam generating section. The third grid G3 and fourth grid G4 form a main lens that ultimately focuses the electron beams, which are prefocused by the prefocus lens, on a phosphor screen.
When the electron beams are deflected onto a corner area of the phosphor screen, the potential difference between the second segment G3-2 and the fourth grid G4 takes a minimum value and also the power of the main lens takes a minimum value. At the sane time, a quadrupole lens is created by a potential difference between the first segment G3-1 and second segment G3-2 of the third grid, and the lens power of the quadrupole lens takes a maximum value. The quadrupole lens is configured to have a focusing function in the horizontal direction and a diverging function in the vertical direction.
Thus, the movement of the focal point is compensated by decreasing the power of the main lens, as the distance between the electron gun assembly and phosphor screen increases and the image point moves farther. In addition, the quadrupole lens compensates a deflection aberration due to the deflection magnetic fields.
In recent years, with an increasing popularity of Hi-Vision broadcast and Internet TV, there is a demand that a color cathode-ray tube should display an image with higher definition. In order to display a high-definition image, it is desirable that a small beam spot with a substantially circular shape be formed over the entire phosphor screen.
In order to form a small beam spot, it is effective to decrease the magnification of the main lens. An example of a method for decreasing the magnification is to increase the aperture of the main lens. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-180648 discloses a method of increasing the aperture of the main lens, wherein a superimposition/extension type main lens is used.
As is shown in FIG. 18, the superimposition/extension type main lens includes an intermediate electrode GM that is disposed between the second segment G3-2 and fourth grid G4. The intermediate electrode GM has cylindrical electrodes at its portions opposed to the second segment G3-2 and fourth grid G4, respectively. The second segment G3-2 and fourth grid G4 hare electric field correction plates at their faces opposed to the intermediate electrode GM. Thereby, a superimposition/extension type main lens with a large aperture can be formed.
However, in the case where the focal distance of the lens system in the electron gun assembly is fixed, if the aperture of the main lens is increased, the power of the main lens needs to be increased in order to meet the focusing condition for just focusing electron beams on the phosphor screen. For this purpose, it is necessary to decrease the focus voltage, thereby increasing the potential difference from the anode voltage.
When the focus voltage is decreased, the potential difference between the second grid G2 and first segment G3-1 decreases and the lens power of the prefocus lens lowers. As a result, the divergence angle of the electron beam increases. When the electron beam, whose divergence angle is increased, is incident on the main lens, it is greatly affected by the spherical aberration of the main lens. Consequently, the site of the beam spot of the electron beam that reaches the phosphor screen increases.
When the focus voltage that is applied to the first segment G3-1 is decreased, the potential permeation to the second grid G2 decreases and the potential in the electron beam generating section decreases. Consequently, the size of the imaginary object point of the electron beam for the main lens increases. As a result, the beam spot of the electron beam that reaches the phosphor screen increases.
As has been described above, in the color cathode-ray tube apparatus, in order to display a high-definition, high-resolution image, it is necessary to form a small beam spot with no oval distortion on the entire phosphor screen.
As the method of decreasing the size of the beam spot on the phosphor screen, it is an effective method to increase the aperture of the main lens and decrease the magnification of the main lens. In this method, however, the lens power of the prefocus lens decreases, as mentioned above. Consequently, the divergence angel of the electron beam increases before it enters the main lens, and the electron beam is affected by the spherical aberration on the peripheral region of the main lens. At the same time, in this method, the potential permeation from the first segment to the second grid decreases, and the size of the imaginary object point increases. These phenomena lead to an increase in beam spot size, which is contradictory to the purpose of this method. Hence, it is not possible to form a sufficiently small beam spot on the phosphor screen.
According to a method wherein the focus electrode is elongated in the direction of travel of the electron beam, the focus voltage, which has decreased due to the increase in aperture of the main lens, can be raised. However, in the case where the focus voltage is raised by this method, the size of the electron beam, before entering the main lens, is increased and the electron beam is strongly affected by the spherical aberration of the main lens. As a result, a sufficiently small beam spot cannot be formed on the phosphor screen.


A duct mounted environmental sensing unit includes a plurality of sensors for detecting respective parameters of a fluid in a duct. The sensing unit enables at least three sensors to make contact with the fluid through a single insertion point in the duct.

The present invention relates to environmental sensors for detecting characteristics of a fluid in a duct and, more particularly, to a duct mounted environmental sensing unit for detecting a plurality of parameters of a fluid in a duct of a heating, cooling and ventilation system.
Temperature and humidity are primary factors in the comfort and quality of an indoor environment. While temperature is important to comfort, the humidity is a substantial factor in determining whether a specific temperature is comfortable. Temperature is commonly regulated as a function of the relative humidity in a space and humidifiers, to control the relative humidity, are often a part of the heating, cooling and ventilation systems of office buildings and industrial plants.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a product of human respiration and, while high levels of carbon dioxide are toxic to humans, the concentration of carbon dioxide in an indoor environment is commonly used as a surrogate to indicate the presence of other indoor pollutants that may cause occupants to grow drowsy, have headaches, or function at a lower activity level. Since human respiration is a primary source of carbon dioxide in indoor environments, building codes typically specify the amount of outdoor air to be added to an interior space by the ventilation system on the basis of the occupancy of the space. In the past, ventilation systems commonly maintained a ventilation rate, at all times, that was sufficient for full occupancy of the space. However, heating, cooling, humidifying and moving this volume of air at times when the occupancy is low is wasteful of energy and expensive. Demand controlled ventilation seeks to vary the amount of outside air added to a space to optimize the comfort and well being of occupants and reduce energy consumption under conditions of variable and intermittent occupancy. Carbon dioxide concentration is used as an indicator of the occupancy and as a control parameter for demand controlled ventilation.
Relative humidity may be sensed by a sensor that comprises a polymer that is typically mounted on a porous ceramic plate and has a resistivity that changes as a function of the humidity. The accuracy of this type sensor is often insufficient for a ventilation system and the devices are subject to deterioration in harsh environments. A second type of humidity sensor employs a capacitor in which the dielectric comprises environmental air. Since the dielectric constant of air is one and the dielectric constant of water is approximately 80, changes in the relative humidity changes the dielectric constant of the air separating the capacitor plates, and, hence, the capacitance of the sensor. Variation in capacitance can be used in a number of ways in circuits to provide an electrical output that is indicative of the relative humidity. The accuracy of a system employing this type of sensor relies on the accuracy of the sensor's nominal capacitance which can be altered by the way in which the capacitor is shipped, handled or otherwise introduced to the environment.
Cota, U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,138, discloses a humidity sensing device that includes a humidity sensitive capacitor comprising part of an oscillator circuit. The frequency of the oscillator is a function of the capacitance of the humidity sensitive capacitor which, in turn, is a function of the relative humidity. The true capacitance of the humidity sensitive capacitor is measured against a known standard and stored in a memory in the humidity sensing device. A microprocessor uses the true capacitance data stored in the memory to correct the relative humidity measurements made with the device to account changes in capacitance resulting from aging or from shipping and handling of the device. A voltage divider network in the humidity sensing device provides temperature compensation for the relative humidity measurements. Cota also discloses an apparatus for supporting the humidity sensor in a stream of fluid flowing in a duct. An enclosure with an attached sleeve is bolted to the exterior of the duct with the sleeve projecting through a hole in the duct's wall. The humidity sensitive capacitor is secured in the end of a tube which passes through the sleeve. A swage nut compresses the sleeve to secure the tube and the humidity sensitive element in the fluid flowing in the duct.
Temperature is commonly measured with a thermistor or a resistance temperature detector (RTD) which exploit the predictable change in electrical resistance of certain materials when they are exposed to changing temperatures. Thermistors and RTDs can be very compact enabling a temperature sensor to be included with the humidity sensor in a mounting similar to that disclosed by Cota.
The presence of carbon dioxide is typically detected with either a chemical sensor or a non-dispersive infrared sensor. Chemical sensors comprise materials that are sensitive to the presence of CO2 and while they typically consume little energy and can be miniaturized, they have a relatively short lifespan and are subject to drift effecting short and long term accuracy of the sensor. Non-dispersive infrared sensors comprise a source and a detector of infrared light disposed at opposite ends of a light tube and an interference filter to prevent light, with exception of light absorbed by the gas molecules of interest, from reaching the detector. A gas to be tested is introduced to the light tube and the absorption of a characteristic wavelength of light is measured to determine the presence of CO2 in the gas. Non-dispersive infrared sensors can be expensive but are commonly used because no other known method works as reliably to detect CO2. A CO2 sensor can be mounted on a wall in the space to be monitored in a manner similar to the installation of a thermostat. The location of the sensor should be selected to expose the sensor to air that is indicative of general conditions within the occupied zone. Locations near doors, windows and air vents or close to where people would regularly sit or stand should be avoided because the CO2 may be locally diluted by air from outside or concentrated by the local activity. A large number of wall mounted sensors are typically required because each sensor is only exposed to the local environment and at least one sensor is typically required in each space. Sensors for humidity and temperature may be combined with the wall mounted CO2 sensor to reduce the number of sensor installations.
CO2 sensors may also be installed on the duct work of an air handling system to detect the concentration of CO2 in the air flowing in the ducts, CO2 sensors are typically located in the duct in which air is returning from a space but may also be mounted in the air intake for the ventilation system to measure the CO2 in the intake air. While a ventilation system comprising a plurality of zones typically incorporates a number of sensors, a duct mounted sensor can serve a plurality of zones reducing the required number of sensors. Duct mounting of the CO2 sensor is best applied where the ventilation system operates continuously and where the return airstream being monitored serves one or more zones that have similar levels of activity and occupancy at similar times. Combining a plurality of sensors in a single enclosure can be reduce the cost of the sensing units. Moreover, if a plurality of sensors can be installed at a single insertion point in a duct the number of entry points in the duct can be reduced reducing the chance of leakage and the cost of installation and maintenance.
What is desired, therefore, is an environmental sensing unit to enable a plurality of sensors to be installed at single insertion point in a duct of a ventilation system.


A switch lever of an electrical switch can be moved into various switch positions. A ferrite core is disposed at the switch end of the switch lever. A primary coil and a secondary coil are disposed about each switch setting. The primary coil induces a voltage in each secondary coil. The amplitude of the induced voltage is greatest in the secondary coil in the vicinity of which the ferrite core is situated. The actually adopted switch position can be determined from the difference in the voltages.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical switch. In many practical applications, in particular in automobile engineering and in mechanical and systems engineering, it is necessary to reliably recognize, and to transmit to other units, the position of a switch lever or of a movable machine part that can adopt a plurality of different settings or switch positions. One such switch is known from German published patent application DE 40 06 596 A1. The switch position is detectermined in wireless fashion by means of Hall sensors. Detection by means of Hall sensors, however, is very costly.


Circuits, demultiplexers, and methods are disclosed. A circuit includes a reference clock input to receive clock pulses at a reference clock speed. An internal divided clock input receives a divided clock signal from a clock divider that is driven by the clock pulses. The clock divider generates the divided clock signal at a second clock speed that is a fraction of the reference clock speed. An external divided clock input receives an external divided clock signal. The external divided clock signal is driven by the clock pulses and operates at the second clock speed. A clock transition synchronization circuit suppresses application of one or more of the clock pulses to the clock divider when the divided clock signal transitions between clock states out of synchronization with the external divided clock signal.

The continued development and proliferation of digital technology results in large quantities of digital data being generated, transmitted, collected, processed, and stored. For example, in processing a large quantity of information, such as a data stream from a satellite, conversion of raw data by a fast analog-to-digital converter may generate a large stream of digital data. In order to accommodate the large stream of digital data, the stream may be deserialized into multiple separate streams of data that can be stored or processed by available digital devices.
One way of deserializing a large digital data stream is to demultiplex the data stream with the demultiplexed outputs routed to separate digital devices or to separate inputs of a digital system. However, demultiplexing the digital data stream presents its own problems.
For example, if the analog-to-digital converter has an eight bit output and the output is to be divided into eight separate streams to accommodate the data, an 8-bit-to-64-bit (8:64) demultiplexer may be used. However, inexpensive 8:64 demultiplexers generally may not be commercially available. Further, an 8:64 demultiplexer is a relatively high density device and relatively few 8:64 demultiplexers may be manufactured on a single wafer which may lead to wafer yield concerns. By contrast, lower density demultiplexers, such as 1:8 or 2:16 demultiplexers may be commonly commercially available and may have higher wafer yields leading to reduced costs.
Although an 8:64 demultiplexer may be replaced by an array of individual demultiplexers, such as an array of four parallel 2:16 demultiplexers or an array of eight parallel 1:8 demultiplexers, a problem remains in synchronizing the individual demultiplexers. The individual demultiplexers may each include a data tree and a clock divider that accepts a reference clock input and clocks a demultiplexed data output at a reduced clock rate. However, as is the case with many digital devices, on being powered up, different demultiplexers may start up with different gates in different states. As a result, the individual demultiplexers may start up with their respective clock dividers in different states, resulting in the output of the different individual demultiplexers being out of synchronization and potentially causing misalignment of the deserialized data bits in the output.
Some demultiplexers and other digital devices may be equipped with clock reset inputs. However, applying an accurately synchronized input to each of a plurality clock inputs may be difficult. Further, if a clock reset input fails to properly reset a clock divider or if the clock reset signal is not accurately and simultaneously applied to each of the devices, the devices may remain desynchronized as long as the devices remain powered on.


A method and apparatus for noncontact temperature measurement of a substrate insitu by measuring the temperature of a substrate support member and an intermediate member located between the substrate and the substrate support member. The intermediate member has a given heat transfer surface area adjacent both the substrate and the substrate support member and high thermal conductivity so that the intermediate member rapidly approaches a steady state surface temperature after the substrate is positioned in the substrate support member. In this arrangement, the temperature of the substrate can be determined either by calibration or application of a heat transfer equation. Various temperature measuring instruments may be used, including a light probe located in the substrate support member normal to the surface of the intermediate member to measure the radiation from a temperature sensitive material deposited on the bottom surface of the intermediate member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for making temperature measurements. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices and methods for measuring the temperature of a semiconductor substrate through non-contact arrangements utilizing a temperature sensitive member located adjacent the substrate to be measured.
2. Background of the Art
The fabrication of semiconductor devices on substrates typically requires the deposition and etching of multiple metal, dielectric and other semiconductor film layers on the surface of a substrate. The film layers are typically deposited onto, and etched from, the substrates in vacuum chambers. Controlling the deposition and etch rate uniformity are critically important to the manufacture of integrated circuits. One of the parameters which must be tightly controlled during such deposition or etching process is the film temperature, which is particularly important for fabricating semiconductor multilayer structures from silicon (Si) or gallium arsenide (GaAs). It is also critical to obtaining high-T.sub.c (high critical temperature) superconductor film of optimal quality on a substrate.
There are many methods currently used for temperature measurement of the substrate or film layer. One common technique is to locate thermocouples thermistors or resistance thermometers in the chamber to inferentially measure the substrate temperature. In some cases, the temperature measuring device has been embedded in the substrate support where it is protected from the environment of the vacuum chamber. An electrical signal is generated by the device, which is then converted into temperature readings or employed for control functions.
In certain situations, it is necessary or desirable to obtain temperature data by non-electrical techniques. This may occur: (1) where temperatures over large areas are to be measured and measurement by a dense distribution of thermocouples thus becomes impractical; (2) where the attachment of thermocouples and leads to the chamber would alter the temperatures to be measured; (3) in environments where, because of high electric or magnetic fields, metallic wires are undesirable; (4) where electrical isolation and/or insensitivity to electrical noise generation is desired; (5) where, because of motion or remoteness of the part to be sensed, permanent lead wires are impractical; or (6) where, because of corrosive chemical environments, wires and thermocouple junctions would be adversely affected, with resultant changes in electrical characteristics and erratic or erroneous temperature readings. For example, a plasma, such as used in chemical vapor deposition, can have an adverse effect on conventional temperature monitoring probes placed in physical contact with the substrate, and any contact between the probe and the substrate may cause substrate defects in the vicinity of the contact area. Such contact can cause high-density circuitry formed on the substrate near the contact area to be destroyed, thereby reducing substrate yield and the number of chips recoverable from a single substrate.
The above considerations are important for determining production worthiness of processing tools used for adding and removing materials from semiconductor substrates. A dielectric substrate formed of silicon or a III-V or II-IV compound, such as gallium arsenide or zinc telluride, is typically processed in a high-vacuum environment. This environment can have an adverse effect on conventional temperature monitoring probes placed in physical contact with the substrate, and contact between the probe and the substrate may cause substrate defects in the vicinity of the contact area. Such contact can cause high-density circuitry formed on the substrate near the contact area to be destroyed, thereby reducing substrate yield and the number of chips recoverable from a single substrate.
Therefore, in some process situations, radiation pyrometry techniques are preferable since they measure the temperature of an object by means of the quantity and character of the energy which it radiates. These techniques can be applied to semiconductor manufacturing to avoid the problems associated with temperature probes being in contact with the substrate. Therefore, optical pyrometers and light probes may be used to monitor substrate temperature by comparing the in-spectral intensity of the hot substrate with that of a source of standard intensity. To provide an accurate indication of substrate temperature from an optical pyrometer, the emissivity of the substrate must be known. With currently available pyrometer techniques, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain accurately emissivity of a semiconductor substrate undergoing processing for manufacture of integrated circuits. At temperatures below approximately 600.degree. C., undoped silicon is transparent to infrared energy. As the temperature or doping level of the substrate increases, the substrate becomes less transparent to infrared energy. The decrease in transparency causes the emissivity of radiant energy that can be detected by an optical pyrometer to change in a fairly unpredictable manner. Emissivity of optical energy from the substrate is also dependent on how rough the substrate emitting surface is. In addition, substrate emissivity as a whole is a function of material deposited on the face of the substrate in the optical pyrometer field of view. Since emissivity from the substrate is variable, the output of the optical pyrometer is frequently not an accurate indication of substrate temperature.
Presently, the optical techniques used to measure temperature of a substrate require placement of a temperature sensitive material onto the backside of a substrate so that the decay of that material and light emissions associated therewith can be measured. A light probe is housed within the support member below the substrate receiving surface of the support member. The light probe excites the temperature sensitive material and causes it to emit radiation. The emitted radiation is quantified and compared with known temperature values. One drawback to this method is that it requires additional processing steps to be performed on the substrate prior to the continual formation of integrated circuits thereon. In addition to increased cost and time, the material deposited on the substrate for this purpose may jeopardize the integrated circuits ultimately formed on the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,286, entitled "Optical Temperature Measurement Techniques Utilizing Phosphors", Wickersheim, incorporated herein by reference, describes a method and apparatus for measuring the temperature of an object provided with a phosphor material layer that emits at least two optically isolatable wavelength ranges whose intensity ratio depends upon the object or environment temperature. The emitted radiation is quantified by an optical system that may include an optical fiber. One known application utilizing this art is the measurement of substrate temperature by providing a small amount of temperature sensitive material on the backside of the substrate. A light detecting member is provided within the substrate support member normal to the surface on which the temperature sensitive material is placed to measure the emitted radiation from the temperature sensitive material. A processor quantifies the emitted radiation and determines the temperature of the substrate.
This technique, however, requires that the temperature sensitive material be placed on the backside of the semiconductor substrate. This poses several problems. First, the phosphor material may migrate into the silicon substrate on which it is provided. Second, the process of applying the temperature sensitive material to the backside of the substrate requires additional processing steps which are both time consuming and expensive.
Therefore, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for determining the temperature of a substrate during processing through a non-contact arrangement utilizing optical techniques which eliminate the need to deposit temperature sensitive material on the substrate.

In-situ substrate temperature measurement scheme in plasma reactor


A freewheel for changing a transmission characteristic of a planetary transmission for a motor vehicle transmission. The freewheel has a first ring which has a first blocking contour, a second ring which is rotatable relative to the first ring and which has a second blocking contour, tiltable blocking bodies which can be caused to engage into the first blocking contour and into the second blocking contour, and a switching element for tilting the blocking bodies. The switching element, in a blocking position, clamps the blocking bodies immovably to the first blocking contour and to the second blocking contour, in a freewheel position, allows unidirectional freewheeling, and in an inactive position, holds the blocking bodies down on the first ring so as to be spaced apart from the second ring.

DE 10 2014 117 227 A1, DE 10 2015 104 203 A1 and DE 10 2015 217 521 A1, each of which is incorporated by reference herein, each disclose a motor vehicle transmission for converting a torque that is generated by an electric machine.
There is a constant demand to adapt the transmission characteristic of a planetary transmission of a motor vehicle transmission to different operating situations in a simple and structural-space-saving manner.


A first cell determines that UE(s) should have HARQ cycle(s) skipped, where each of the UE(s) is to take part in a CoMP transmission. Skipping is to be performed to enable the first cell to receive information from second cell(s) over backhaul link(s) for the HARQ transmission(s). A first HARQ cycle is scheduled and participated in for the UE(s) in order to receive a transmission at the first cell from the UE(s). The HARQ cycle(s) is/are skipped for the UE(s) by sending, prior to decoding information from the uplink CoMP transmissions, an acknowledgement to the UE(s) and not scheduling the UE(s) for a PDCCH grant for the HARQ cycle(s). The skipping depends on one or more of: a backhaul latency, a load in the first cell, a type of UE, or a request to the second cell(s). Apparatus and program products are also disclosed.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention disclosed below. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived, implemented or described. Therefore, unless otherwise explicitly indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. Abbreviations that may be found in the specification and/or the drawing figures are defined at the end of the specification but prior to the claims.
Some example embodiments herein relate to a problem of exchanging signal samples among nodes in a wireless network with a non-ideal backhaul network. This exchange of information is essential to enable cooperative uplink reception. This can happen in various deployment scenarios, such as in macro networks with an X2 interface used for inter-BS interconnect, a cluster of small cells in dense environment, or heterogeneous deployment with a distributed backhaul network.
The backhaul network is required to exchange signal samples from a "helper" cell to a "recipient" cell for cooperative uplink reception. That is, one user equipment's transmission is received by both the helper cell and the recipient cell. The recipient cell will perform analysis on information received by itself and by the helper cell. The exchange of information between helper and recipient cells is either by circuit-switched or packet-switched backhaul networks, depending on architecture and deployment. Generally, the backhaul network is considered without any delay in information exchange, but this is not true in a real scenario. If the delay is small, less than one ms, the information can be utilized by the recipient cell to decode user data. If the delay is larger, e.g., five or 10 ms, this becomes a bottleneck, as the scheduler in the recipient cell needs to wait to decode user data. In LTE, there is a fixed time on the delay for transmitting an ACK/NACK to the user, which may be violated if the information from the helper cell arrives with a larger delay.
Standard UE behavior is that if the UE receives an ACK, the UE does not retransmit a packet to abase station. However, if later the UE receives an UL grant for the same packet (e.g., as indicated by the same NDI bit), the UE will retransmit the packet. The primary purpose (one might assume) of specifying this behavior is to account for the case where the base station sent an ACK, but the UE interpreted the ACK as a NACK (and therefore sent no retransmission).

Cooperative uplink reception suitable for non-ideal backhaul


Even after a scanner is instructed to read an original and it is later detected by an original detecting sensor that there is no original, if the original is loaded correctly, a normal reading operation is performed even without re-instruction to read the original. Thus, the operability on the user side is improved.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an image input/output system comprising an image reading device such as a scanner and host equipment such as a personal computer, as well as an information recording medium which stores programs capable of being executed by a computer of the host equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
For inputting images to host equipment (typical of which is a personal computer) or for reading images for facsimile transmission, there is known a scanner that reads an original such as a photograph or a document and that then outputs image data.
The scanner is connected to host equipment. In accordance with a scanner driver program installed in the host equipment, a read start signal is transmitted to the scanner from the host equipment to read image data, which data are then displayed on the screen of the host equipment.
However, if the original to be read is not loaded or if the original is not conveyed due to some trouble of a conveyance system, it is impossible to read the original. To avoid this inconvenience, the conventional scanner is provided with a sensor for detecting whether the original is present or not. If there is no original, the sensor advises the user of the absence of original.
In the conventional image reading system, however, after the absence of original has been recognized in accordance with a signal provided from the sensor, the reading operation is stopped until transmission of a new read start signal.
Therefore, after the original has once been loaded, the user is again required to perform a setting operation of the transmission of a read start signal on the host equipment. Such an operation is required even when the original can be loaded at once. Thus, the conventional system has been inconvenient.

Image reading system and information recording medium and methods for operating same


An apparatus and method of self-diagnosing a video signal in an LCD panel is disclosed. The apparatus includes a micro-controller, a switching unit and a diagnosis transmitter. The micro-controller generates and outputs a switching control signal representing an operation mode, which includes a self-diagnosis mode and a normal operation mode. The switching unit selects an input signal of a receiver according to the switching control signal from the micro-controller. When the switching control signal represents the self-diagnosis mode, the diagnosis transmitter receives a test video signal having a predetermined display pattern from the micro-controller, and the test video signal is then fed back to the micro-controller. The micro-controller detects whether the test video signal is in trouble by comparing the test video signal from the micro-controller with the video signal fed back to the micro-controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an apparatus for driving an LCD panel. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for self-diagnosing a video signal in an LCD(Liquid Crystal Display) which determines whether or not the video signal is in trouble.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing a conventional circuit for driving an LCD panel.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional circuit for driving the LCD panel includes a micro-controller 130, a receiver 110, a scaler 120 and an interface unit 140. The driving circuit receives an analog video signal from a transmitter 102 of a PC 100, converts the analog video signal into a digital video signal, and transmits the converted video signal to the LCD panel 150.
Specifically, the receiver 110 receives the analog video signal from the PC 100 and converts the analog video signal into the digital video signal, which is composed of digital Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B) color signals of 8 bits. In general, the receiver 110 includes a video pre-amplifier, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and a phase locked loop(PLL) circuit, and is fabricated into one chip.
Next, the scaler 120, which is a digital video processor, converts the digital video signal from the receiver 110 to match the resolution of the video signal with that of the LCD panel. For example, if the input signal to the scaler has a resolution of 800*600 and the resolution of the LCD panel is 1024*768, the scaler scales up the input video signal accordingly.
Generally, the LCD panel adopts an interface format of TTL, LVDS or TMDS, and the interface unit 140 converts the output signal of the scaler 120 to match the interface format adopted by the LCD panel.
The micro-controller 130, which is called a system controller or microcomputer, receives horizontal and vertical sync signals from the PC 100 and signaling equipment, and discriminates an operation mode of the LCD panel from the sync signal and horizontal and vertical frequencies. The micro-controller reads and recognizes mode data stored in a non-volatile memory(not illustrated), and adjusts the operation mode data by controlling an LCD driving circuit.
The micro-controller 130 receives the sync signal from the receiver 110, checks the operation mode from the sync signal and controls the power supply to the inverter 170 and the LCD panel 170 via a power switching unit 160.
The conventional circuit for driving the LCD panel as described above has the problem; it cannot properly detect the trouble state of the scaler 120 and receiver 110. Especially, when a specified bit of digital R, G, B color signals is not processed properly, a user cannot easily detect the trouble.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which can detect -the trouble state of the receiver 110 and scaler 120.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for self-diagnosing a video signal which can detect whether a specified bit of R, G, B color signals is in trouble.
According to the invention, it may be easily detected if the video signal displayed on the LCD panel has been correctly converted. Therefore, the user can self-diagnose the video signal in the LCD panel.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for self-diagnosing a video signal to be displayed in an LCD panel. The apparatus includes a receiver, a scaler, a micro-controller, a diagnosis transmitter and a switching unit.
The receiver receives an analog video signal, and converts the analog video signal into a digital video signal.
The scaler converts said digital video signal from the receiver into a format suitable for the LCD panel.
The micro-controller outputs a switching control signal which represents either a self-diagnosis mode or a normal-operation mode as the operation mode of an LCD driving circuit, and outputs a test video signal having a predetermined display pattern if the switching control signal represents the self-diagnosis mode.
The diagnosis transmitter converts the test video signal into an analog signal.
The switching unit transmits the video signal outputted from the PC to the receiver if the operation mode of the LCD driving circuit is in normal operation mode, while it transmits the test video signal outputted from the diagnosis transmitter to the receiver if the operation mode of the LCD driving circuit is in self-diagnosis mode.
Therefore, the micro-controller detects whether or not the video signal is in trouble by comparing the test video signal from the micro-controller with the video signal processed by and fed back from the receiver and scaler if the operation mode of LCD driving circuit is the self-diagnosis mode.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of self-diagnosing whether the video signal is in trouble in an LCD panel. The method comprises the steps of:
(a) providing a digital test video signal having a predetermined display pattern through a micro-controller of an LCD driving circiut;
(b) feeding back the test video signal to the micro-controller via an A/D converter, a receiver and a scaler; and
(c) determining whether or not the test video signal is in trouble by comparing the test video signal from the micro-controller with the video signal fed back to the micro-controller.
In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of self-diagnosing whether the video signal from a PC to an LCD panel is in trouble. The method comprising steps of:
(a) providing a switching control signal through a micro-controller of an LCD driving circuit, said switching control signal representing an operation mode of the LCD driving circuit composed of a self-diagnosis mode and a normal operation mode;
(b) if the operation mode is the self-diagnosis mode,
providing a test video signal having a predetermined display pattern through the micro-controller,
feeding back the test video signal to the micro-controller via an A/D converter, a receiver and a scaler of the LCD driving circuit, and
determining whether or not the test video signal is in trouble by comparing the test video signal from the micro-controller with the video signal fed back to the micro-controller; and
(c) if the operation mode of the LCD driving circuit is the normal operation mode, receiving the video signal from the PC, converting the video signal into a signal having a format suitable for the LCD panel, and outputting the video signal to the LCD panel to display the video signal from the PC on the LCD panel.

Apparatus for self-diagnosing a video signal in an LCD panel and a method thereof


A process for recovering a polyester, preferably polyethylene terephthalate, from contaminated polyester waste containing non-polyester components, such as polyester blended with cotton or other fibers in fabric or fiber forms, polyester magnetic tapes, coated polyester films and engineering resins, by dissolving the polyester in molten dimethylterephthalate, methyl-p-toluate or dimethylisophthalate as solvent and separating the polyester solution from the non-polyester components. The polyester can subsequently be recovered by crystallization or the polyester solution can be used as a feedstock for methanolysis to form dimethylterephthalate (DMT) and alkylene glycol. The DMT can be subsequently hydrolyzed to recover terephthalic acid (TPA).

Prior art methods are known for the recovery of polyester from cotton fabrics and from photographic film waste, which involve dissolution of the polyester in various solvents, followed by precipitating and recovering the polyester.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,854, issued on Aug. 30, 1994, describes a process for recovering polyester from a polyester/cotton blend fabric by dissolving the polyester in an alkyl sulfone solvent, separating the dissolved polyester and alkyl sulfone solvent solution from the cotton fabric and precipitating the polyester from the alkyl sulfone solvent solution.
British Patent 1,548,043, published on Jul. 4, 1979, describes a process for obtaining polyethylene terephthalate (PET) powder from PET textile waste by dissolving the PET in a halogenated hydrocarbon solvent at a temperature of up to 200.degree. C. at the vapor pressure of the solvent and cooling the PET solvent solution to precipitate the PET powder.
British Patent 1,518,211, published on Jul. 19, 1978, describes a process for recovering silver value from photographic film waste, which waste comprises silver halide and/or metallic silver, a layer of polyester base film and a subbing layer of polyvinyl-idenechloride. The photographic waste is dissolved in an aromatic ether solvent, such as anisole, phenetole or benzyl ether, the silver value is separated by filtration and the solvent phase is subsequently cooled to precipitate the PET while maintaining the polyvinyl-idenechloride in solution.
Technical, economic and environmental considerations due to the solvent systems used in the prior art processes dramatically limit their applicability to laboratory scale investigations. Such solvent systems have very limited commercial applications.
The process of the present invention provides an effective, reliable and economical means for recovering a polyester, particularly polyethylene terephthalate (PET), from contaminated polyester waste such as a polyester and cotton blend fabric, a polyester magnetic tape, or other contaminated polyester waste. Advantageously, the polyester can be recovered by crystallization, filtration and solid state processed to an appropriate molecular weight. Alternatively, the dissolved polyester can be utilized directly as a feedstock for methanolysis to recover dimethyltere-phthalate (DMT) and alkylene glycol. The DMT can subsequently be hydrolyzed to recover terephthalic acid (TPA).

Recovery of polyester from contaminated polyester waste


A method for the preparation of a stable silica organosol in a hydrophobic organic solvent is proposed. The method comprises (a) hydrolyzing a tetraalkoxy silane, e.g. tetraethoxy silane, in an alcoholic medium in the presence of a limited amount of water and ammonia as a catalyst under controlled conditions so as to produce a silica alcosol in which the silica particles satisfy the requirements that the alkoxy groups and silanolic hydroxy groups are bonded to the silicon atoms on the surface in densities of at least 3.5 .mu. moles/m.sup.2 and not exceeding 2 .mu. mmoles/m.sup.2, respectively, and the specific surface area S given in m.sup.2 /g and the average particle diameter D given in nm of the silica particles satisfy the relationship of S.times.D.gtoreq.5000, D being 1 nm or larger, and (b) admixing the alcosol of silica particles with an organosilicon compound selected from the group consisting of the compounds represented by the general formula R.sub.4-n SiX.sub.n, (R.sub.3 Si).sub.2 NH, or YO--(--SiR.sub.2 --O--).sub.m --Y, in which each R is, independently from the others, a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, X is a hydroxy group or an alkoxy group, Y is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, n is 1, 2 or 3 and m is a positive integer not exceeding 20, in an amount, for example, in the range from 0.01 to 10 moles per mole of the silica particles under agitation of the mixture to effect a reaction for the modification of the surface of the silica particles followed by replacement of the alcoholic medium with a desired organic solvent.

The present invention relates to a method for the preparation of surface-modified finely divided silica particles capable of forming a stable organosol in any organic solvent and useful as a hard-coating agent on plastic lenses, fabric finishing agent, thickening agent of oils and the like.
There are hitherto known silica powder products dispersible in an organic solvent to form a stable organosol of which the silica particles have alkoxy groups bonded to the silicon atoms on the surface. Such silica particles can be prepared by hydrolyzing an alkoxy silane compound in the presence of an alkaline compound as a catalyst.
The thus produced silica particles having an alkoxylated surface are usually hydrophilic so that they are not always dispersible in a highly hydrophobic organic solvent to cause agglomeration of the silica particles or gelation. Accordingly, the organic solvents utilizable as a dispersion medium of silica organosol are limited to those without high hydrophobicity such as alcohols, e.g., methyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol and the like.
Several proposals and attempts have been made in the prior art to prepare an organosol of silica or other inorganic oxides of which the organic solvent as the dispersion medium has a relatively high hydrophobicity. For example, Japanese Patent Kokai No. 63-182204 teaches a method comprising the steps of: (1) hydrolyzing a hydrolyzable compound, such as alkoxides and derivatives thereof, of an inorganic or metallic element, e.g., silicon, titanium, zirconium, aluminum and the like, in a hydrous alcoholic solvent to prepare a suspension of finely divided hydrated oxide particles in the alcoholic solvent; (2) modifying the surface of the particles by admixing the suspension with a coupling agent such as silane compounds, titanate compounds, aluminum compounds and the like having, in a molecule, at least one non-hydrolyzable organic group and at least one hydrolyzable organic group; and (3) replacing the alcoholic solvent with a desired organic solvent having higher hydrophobicity than the alcoholic solvent.
When a tetraalkoxy silane, for example, is used as the coupling agent in the above mentioned surface-modification method of silica particles, a large number of silanol groups are formed on the surface of the silica particles due to the molar ratio of water as the hydrolyzing agent to the tetraalkoxy silane which is usually larger than 6 so that the effect of surface modification cannot be obtained as desired. In addition, this method is applicable only when the finely divided silica particles have an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 5 .mu.m and practically no surface modification cannot be obtained on finer silica particles. In other words, the particle diameter of the silica particles in a silica organosol obtained by this method is relatively large so that such a silica organosol is not always satisfactory when it is used in practical applications as a hard-coating agent on plastic lenses or a thickening agent of oils in respect of the low mechanical strength and transparency or insufficient thickening effect.

Method for the preparation of surface-modified silica particles


A system and method for generating training images. An existing training image is associated with a classification. The system includes an image processing module that performs color-space deformation on each pixel of the existing training image and then associates the classification to the color-space deformed training image. The technique may be applied to increase the size of a training set for training a neural network.

Given current processing capability, it is now practical to implement complex neural networks to perform various tasks, such as image classification. Neural networks are configured through learning, which can be referred to as a training stage. In the training stage for image classification, training data (a training set of images each having a known classification) is processed by the neural network. Thus, it is intended that the neural network learn how to perform classification for new images by generalizing the information it learns in the training stage from the training data.
One problem that can occur when training a particularly complex neural network (i.e., a neural network having a large number of parameters) is overfitting. Overfitting occurs when the neural network simply memorizes the training data that it is provided, rather than generalizing well to new examples. Generally, the overfitting problem is increasingly likely to occur as the complexity of the neural network increases.
Overfitting can be mitigated by providing the neural network with more training data. However, the collection of training data is a laborious and expensive task. One proposal has thus been to synthetically and automatically generate new training data from the existing training data. For vision tasks, this can be accomplished by label-preserving two-dimensional spatial deformations of existing training data and adding these spatially deformed images to the training set. However, the generated images will be correlated, likely highly correlated, with the original training images. Furthermore, the increase in size of the training set is limited in this approach. Thus, this technique is generally accepted to be inferior to actually collecting more independent training data.
It is an object of the following to obviate or mitigate at least one of the foregoing issues.

System and method for generating training cases for image classification


A convenient, practical method for forming elastomers from dual functional siloxanes that cure by a step-growth mechanism is provided. The method involves preparing a first mixture containing a first telechelic siloxane and a hydrosilylation catalyst; preparing a second mixture containing a second telechelic siloxane and a dual functional siloxane having two different polymer termini; and reacting the first mixture with the second mixture to produce the siloxane elastomer. The first and second mixtures may be stored separately until time of use.

This invention describes a method for producing silicone elastomers from dual functional siloxanes. Methods for forming elastomers from two-component or two-part room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicones are well-established in the art. A typical two-component system based on an "addition" or hydrosilylation cure consists of a Part A, which contains a vinyl-functional base polymer, a catalyst, and optionally a reinforcing component (such as a siliceous component or reinforcing resin and pigment), and a Part B, which typically contains the same vinyl-functional base polymer and a hydride-functional crosslinking polymer. When the two parts are mixed, the crosslinking reaction commences and an elastomer forms. The rate and temperature of cure depend on the nature of the catalyst and various modifiers and inhibitors of the catalyst function. This simple system works well for traditional silicone elastomers, but is not effective for step-growth elastomers which do not rely on crosslinking, but rather on the formation of extremely high molecular weight linear polymers. Any low-molecular weight functional contaminant is likely to destroy the near perfect stoichiometry of these materials, precluding optimum property development and introducing volatile or extractable species. One possible way of creating a two-component system is to disperse the hydrosilylation catalyst in a high molecular nonfunctional silicone. However, practically speaking, if the molecular weight of the silicone is high enough to avoid interference with optimum property development, it is also too highly viscous to allow facile mixing.
A method for producing silicone elastomers from dual functional siloxanes is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0041098 of Arkles et al. However, in some cases, it may be difficult to form elastomers with consistent properties using the methods described therein due to the difficulty in providing consistent mixing of the dual functional siloxanes with the curing catalyst. One obvious method of addressing this problem is to perform a continuous process in which the catalyst and polymer are fed at controlled rates into a mixing device, such as a static mixer or extruder, yielding consistent elastomers. However, in relatively small applications, design requirements of continuous or computer-controlled mixing may not be practical. Accordingly, a method for producing silicone elastomers from dual functional siloxanes that would be applicable to both small and large scale reactions would be desirable.

Method for producing silicone step-growth elastomers from dual functional siloxanes


An apparatus and method for reproducing and after-recording digital signals in slant recording tracks sequentially arranged on a recording medium includes a recording subsystem for recording digital signals in each of the slant tracks and a reproducing subsystem for reproducing digital signals therefrom. The recording and reproducing subsystems include one or more recording and/or reproducing heads for scanning each of the tracks for recording and reproducing digital data therein. A tracking control subsystem controls tracking of the heads with respect to the tracks in a reproducing mode based upon tracking signals recorded both in first and second tracking signal recording areas of the tracks located at initial and final scan positions, respectively, of each track. In an after-recording mode, the tracking control subsystem utilizes tracking signals recorded in only one of the tracking signal recording areas while recording digital signals in a first sub information recording area proximal to the area from which the utilized tracking signals have been obtained.

The present invention relates to digital signal recording and reproducing apparatus which is particularly useful in commercial applications.
Known digital video tape recorders (digital VTR's) designed for commercial applications digitize and record video and audio signals, as main and sub information signals, respectively, in correspondingly different areas in slant tracks formed sequentially on a video tape. The known digital VTR is provided with an after-recording mode of operation in which only an audio signal and a sub code signal are again recorded.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates the format of one of a plurality of slant tracks 20 formed on a video tape by the digital VTR. As shown in FIG. 1, the various signals are recorded sequentially in the track 20 by a recording head (not shown for purposes of simplicity and clarity) scanning the track beginning at an initial track scan position 22 and proceeding to a final track scan position 24 thereof. Accordingly, as the recording head scans the track 20, from the initial track scan position 22, a first automatic track following (ATF) signal recording area AT1 is formed in which a first ATF signal for use in tracking adjustment is recorded. In sequence thereafter, a first audio signal recording area AU1 is formed in the track 20 wherein a first audio signal is recorded (also referred to as a first sub information signal). Subsequently to the formation of the recording area AU1, a second audio signal recording area AU2 is formed in which a second audio signal is recorded (also referred to as a second sub information signal). Following the formation of the recording area AU2, a video signal recording area VI is formed in which the video signal is recorded (also referred to as a main information signal). Following the formation of the area VI, a sub code signal recording area SC is formed in which a sub code signal is recorded (also referred to as a third sub information signal). Finally, adjacent the final scan position 24, a second ATF signal recording area AT2 is formed in which a second ATF signal is recorded for tracking adjustment purposes.
It is often seen that the track angle and the angle at which the head scans the recording tracks do not coincide because of a lack of compatibility between the digital VTR and other apparatus. In that case, the automatic tracking control function is carried out with the use of the first and second ATF signals reproduced respectively from the ATF signal recording areas AT1 and AT2 of each of the tracks. In operation, the respective tracking error signals are detected from the reproduced ATF signals, and then automatic tracking control is carried out so that the tracking error signals are both minimized. Consequently, the automatic tracking function is carried out so that the scanning locus of the head (indicated by the dash line x in FIG. 1) coincides with the track 20 at the center of the tape.
If the above described automatic tracking-control technique is employed, then the video signal is reproduced satisfactorily. However, in the after-recording mode of the digital VTR in which only an audio signal and a sub code signal are recorded, for example, the track 20 and the head scanning locus do not coincide either in the audio signal recording area or in the sub code signal recording area. Consequently, it may be that after-recording cannot be carried out satisfactorily with the use of the above described automatic tracking control technique.

Tracking control for digital signal reproducing and after-recording apparatus and method


A fixing unit which enables high-speed operation and miniaturization, and an image forming apparatus having the fixing unit, includes a heating member which is heated by a heat source, the heating member having a predetermined width; a rotating member to rotate in contact with the heating member; a driving member to rotate the rotating member; and a pressing member to press both sides of the heating member towards the driving member and to form a predetermined fixing nip between the rotating member and the driving member, wherein the heating member has a second moment of inertia which is set to maintain a fixing efficiency of 90% or more in a central portion of the heating member.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a fixing unit to fix an image transferred to a printing medium and an image forming apparatus having the fixing unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, image forming apparatuses, such as copiers, printers, facsimile machines, and multi-function machines embodying the functions of the above-mentioned devices in a single device, comprise photosensitive members on which electrostatic latent images are formed, developing units to develop the electrostatic latent images, transferring units to transfer the developed images onto printing media, and fixing units to fix the transferred images onto the printing media. FIG. 1 shows an example of a fixing unit.
The fixing unit of a conventional image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a heating roller 1 and a pressing roller 2 which rotate and contact with each other. A heat source 1a is mounted within the heating roller 1, and the pressing roller 2 is biased toward the heating roller 1 by a pressing spring (not illustrated). In the heating and pressing rollers 1 and 2, an elastic rubber layer 1c and a release layer 2c are laminated on outer surfaces of metal pipes 1b and 2b, respectively.
In the configuration described above, a printing medium P to which an image is transferred passes through a fixing nip N between the heating and pressing rollers 1 and 2, and accordingly, heat and pressure are applied to the image on the printing medium P such that the image is fixed to the printing medium.
In order to decrease fixing time to achieve high-speed printing, outer diameters of the heating and pressing rollers 1 and 2 may be expanded or the thickness of the elastic rubber layer may be thickened. Accordingly, there is provided a method for shortening the fixing time by increasing the size of the fixing nip N.
However, if the outer diameters of the heating and pressing rollers 1 and 2 are increased, the entire volume of the image forming apparatus will also increase as well as the warm-up time, causing an increase in cost. Additionally, if the elastic rubber layer is thickened, the warm-up time may further increase, the fixing efficiency may deteriorate, and the durability may be reduced due to a concomitant increase in the fixing temperature.
Fixing efficiency may be enhanced by increasing the pressurizing force of the pressing roller 2, but other problems arise, such as distortion of the elastic rubber layer, a decrease in durability, jamming caused by a decrease in the transferring force of the printing medium P, and a necessary increase in driving torque.

Fixing unit and image forming apparatus having the same


A house trailer and boat assembly with improved integration of the specific elements of the trailer and boat configurations such that in each of the house trailer and house boat configurations as few as possible of the elements of the other configurations are noticeable. This house trailer and boat assembly comprises a house trailer box defining elongated lateral apertures, elongated lateral floats pivotally stowable in the house trailer box, elongated panels covering the internally stowed floats for the travel configuration, and end floats at the opposite ends of the house trailer box, and pivotable each between its boat position and its travel position where they cooperatively define with the house trailer box a generally typical house trailer shape.

The comparable concepts that have been proposed so far are of generally two different types. There is what can be called the float attachement type wherein floats are merely added to an existing vehicule or trailer. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,308,782 and 4,802,433 are typical examples of that category. In those U.S. patents, a pair of floats are merely attached to a house trailer or the like to operatively provide the required buoyancy for the trailer for operations as a house boat and are pivotable to an elevated stowed position to travel with the trailer. Such mere attachments have the floats always externally positioned relative to the carrying vehicule and are relatively unsightly.
There is also what can be called the elongated or combination type wherein the vehicule or trailer is custom made to integrate the floats or pontoons to it. The Canadian patent 1,016,411 and the U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,074 fall in that category. In these two patents, the wheels are attached to the pontoons and pivot with them between the trailer configuration and the boat configuration. This presents difficulties since the change from one configuration to the other must be made afloat where the wheels are free to pivot with the pontoons.


A motor power feed wire routing structure for an in-wheel motor driven wheel includes an electrical connection that electrically connects a motor side feed wire extending from the motor and a vehicle body-side feed wire extending from a vehicle mounted power source such that the vehicle body-side feed wire is rotatably connected relative to the motor side feed wire. The electrical connection mechanism is disposed on the knuckle outside of a space of a wheel recess of the wheel. The configuration allows reduction of whirling of the vehicle body-side wire during steering operation.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a motor power feed line or wire routing structure for an in-wheel motor driven vehicle wheel that is driven by an electrical motor and steered by a steering operation.
Background Information
Conventionally, in an in-wheel motor for an electric vehicle for use in steered wheels disposed in the vehicle width or lateral direction inner side with respect to a kingpin axis, a structure is described in which a power feed wire and a rotation speed signal wire extend upwardly from a vehicle body-side end of the motor (see FIG. 2 of JP 2002-247713 A, for example).

Motor power feed wiring structure having a vehicle body-side power feed wire rotatably connected to a motor-side power feed wire


Magnetic composites exhibit distinct flux properties due to gradient interfaces. The composites can be used to improve fuel cells and batteries and effect transport and separation of different chemical species. Devices utilizing the composites include an electrode and improved fuel cells, batteries. Some composites, disposed on the surface of electrodes, prevent passivation of those electrodes and enable direct reformation of liquid fuels. Methods involving these composites provide distinct ways for these composites to be utilized.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method for forming and exploiting gradients at the interfaces between components of a composite material, as well as to the composite material itself, and devices which incorporate the material. In particular, the invention relates to a method for forming and exploiting magnetic gradients at the interfaces between components of a magnetic composite material and the magnetic composite material itself as well as devices which incorporate the composite material such as electrochemical systems and separators including fuel cells, batteries, and separations resulting in enhanced and modified flux and performance in those systems. The invention further relates to compositions, apparatus, methods of making, and methods of using magnetic composite materials in electrolytic applications, including fuel cells. In particular, the invention relates to compositions, apparatus, methods of making, and methods of using magnetic composite materials in electrolytic applications to prevent electrode passivation, particularly in fuel cell applications for the direct reformation of fuels; and to apparatus and methods for modifying the outcome of electrolyses involving free radical products and intermediates.
As used herein, the term "fuel" includes mixtures of one or more fuels, either liquid or gaseous, with other fuel or non-fuel components, including fuel mixtures of one or more fuels with air As used herein, the term "fuel mixture" refers to a mixture of a fuel with one or more different fuel, or non-fuel, components.
2. Background of the Related Art
In the detailed description of preferred embodiments, it will be shown that interfacial gradients in properly prepared according materials can be exploited to enhance flux in many types of electrochemical systems such as fuel cells, batteries, membrane sensors, filters and flux switches. Such interfacial gradients may also be exploited in separators involving chromatographic separations and nonelectrochemical separations including, but not limited to, separations of light and heavy transition metals and transition metal complexes. The heavy transition metals include the lanthanides and the actinides which have atomic numbers 58-71 and 90-103, respectively. First, however, the following discussion provides a brief overview of the current understanding of magnetic properties in composites. In particular, the discussion below summarizes the thermodynamic, kinetic and mass transport properties of bulk magnetic materials. These bulk properties of molecules in magnetic fields are fairly well understood.

Magnetic composites for improved electrolysis


An integrated circuit is provided with logic blocks which draw their power from virtual supply rails. These virtual supply rails are connected by switch blocks to main supply rails. The switch blocks are subject to modulation to maintain the virtual supply rails at an intermediate voltage level such that a reduced voltage difference is applied across the logic block. This intermediate voltage level is used in a state retention mode in which the clock signal clk to the logic block is stopped and state signal values are maintained therein using this reduced virtual power rail derived voltage difference. When it is desired to resume processing then the full virtual rail voltages are restored by rendering the switch blocks fully conductive and then the clock is restarted. The switch blocks which are modulated by controllers which use feedback control based upon the sensed virtual rail voltages (VVdd and Vgnd) while drawing their own power from the normal supply rails (Vdd and gnd).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of integrated circuits. More particularly, this invention relates to integrated circuits having virtual power rails connected to a main power rail via a switch block.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide integrated circuits including power rails connected via switch blocks to virtual power rails. The logic blocks within the integrated circuit then draw their power from the virtual power rails. The switch blocks, which are typically high threshold voltage header and footer transistors, can be used to isolate the virtual power rail from the main power rail and accordingly isolate the logic blocks from the power supply. This is useful in reducing power consumption of the integrated circuit, e.g. by reducing the static leakage current therethrough.
While the above approach is successful, it suffers from the problem that state (e.g. data values, instruction values, configuration etc) within the logic blocks is lost when they are isolated from the power supply. Furthermore, it can take a disadvantageously long period of time to restore this state and recommence processing using the logic blocks when it is desired to switch out of the low power mode. One way of at least partially addressing these problems is to provide balloon latches within the logic blocks to store relevant state signal values using circuits which do remain continuously powered (and are typically formed with high voltage threshold transistors having low leakage currents) so that the signal state values can be restored into the logic block when required and then processing recommenced. A problem with this approach is the overhead associated with the circuit area of the balloon latches, the control thereof and the time taken to restore the signal values from the balloon latches into the logic blocks.

Virtual power rail modulation within an integrated circuit


A fastener assembly is adapted for releasably fastening a flap to a body sheet of a briefcase or the like with the flap having a through aperture formed therethrough. The fastener assembly has a male member attached to the flap having a through aperture formed therethrough and a female member attached to the body sheet and having a socket. The male member includes a male member proper mounted on one side of the flap and a separate attachment plate mounted on the other side of the flap. The male member proper has a plug protuberantly extending from the outer side thereof for locking engagement with the socket and a through hole formed therethrough. The attachment plate has a clinching stud protuberantly extending from the inner side thereof. The male member proper and the attachment plate are joined to each other with the flap clamped therebetween. The clinching stud is inserted through the through aperture of the flap and then the through hole of the male member proper and clinched to the outer side of the male member proper.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastener assembly, such as a snap button; and applied to an opening in garments, baggages, briefcases, pouches, shoes or other like articles for opening and closing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical fastener assembly of the type described is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-16655. The conventional fastener assembly is shown to be used on a pouch and comprises a female member mounted on a body of the pouch and a male member mounted on a flap for snap engagement with the female member. The male member is composed of a unitary one-piece plate having a plug protuberantly mounted on one surface thereof. The plate-like male member is folded back around its middle so as to clamp the distal end of the flap between the thus-formed two plate halves thereof. The male member has a through hole formed in either one of the plate halves and has a clinching stud protuberantly mounted on the other half on the inner surface. When the male member is folded back around the distal end of the flap, the clinching stud of the second-mentioned plate half pierces the fabric of the flap and then fitted into the through hole and clinched to the first-mentioned plate half so that the male member is firmly fastened to the distal end of the flap.
However, the conventional fastener assembly suffers the following drawbacks.
The male member composed of a unitary one-piece plate must be folded back around the flap. Making the clinching stud on one half in registry with the through hole of the other half during the folding operation requires very strict precision. If the required precision fails to be met or the thickness of the sheet material of the pouch varies, the clinching stud is likely to come out of registry with the through hole during the folding of the plate-like male member, so that the clinching operation fails. Even if the clinching can be managed at the cost of causing damage around the hole, the resultant male member fastened to the flap is unsightly.
Furthermore, the one-piece plate must undergo folding stresses in its folding axis and also undergo clinching stresses on and around the protuberant stud. This disadvantageously limits the one-piece plate male member in its material, function and its design.


Provided are a compound for a molecular electronic device which includes a terpyridine-ruthenium organic metal compound including a thiol anchoring group of the formula below, a method of synthesizing the compound and a molecular electronic device including a molecular active layer obtained from the compound.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compound including a functional group in which electric characteristics can be provided, a method of synthesizing the compound, and a molecular electronic device obtained from the compound, and more particularly, to a compound for a molecular electronic device including a thiol anchoring group, a method of synthesizing the compound, and a molecular electronic device including a molecular active layer obtained from the compound.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as developing of the information industry, computer chips, which play the most important role for information storage, have become more highly integrated. Due to various integration techniques, semiconductor devices have arrived at a limit of performance improvement due to increased production costs and physical limits. Efforts have been made to implement devices using molecules to overcome this limit.
A single molecular layer can be formed on an electrode of an electronic device. To date, molecule self-assembling methods and Langmuir-Blodgett methods are known as methods of forming a single molecular layer. Among these, to use the molecule self-assembling methods, it is necessary that a thiol group or a functional group having reactivity similar to reactivity of a thiol group be positioned at an end of molecules for reacting with gold electrodes that are generally much used. Based on these principles, it has been reported that memory devices, which include a single molecular layer formed on gold electrodes using self-assembling methods using phenylene acetylene oligomer, are formed (for example, M. A. Reed, J. Chen, A. M. Rawlett, D. W. Price, J. M. Tour, Appl. Phys. Lett., 78 (2001), 3735). However, electric shorts caused by defects of the molecular device may occur in a self-assembled film of the molecular device using the self-assembling methods.
Research has been conducted into the commercialization of semiconductor products on the scale of several tens of nanometers. However, materials for molecular electronic devices having a novel structure, in which excellent device properties can be provided according to device function, wherein problems such as electric shorts do not occur in very ultra slim and fine molecular electronic devices, are required.

Compound for molecular electronic device having thiol anchoring group, method of synthesizing the compound, and molecular electronic device having molecular active layer obtained from the compound

Abstract: In the formula, R1 and R2 are each a thioacetyl group or a hydrogen atom, at least one of R1 and R2 is a thioacetyl group, and m and n are each integers from 0 to 20. The molecular active layer, which is formed by self-assembling the compound on an electrode surface, composes a switching element and a memory element.

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A method and apparatus for pilot signal transmission is disclosed herein. In particular, a pilot transmission scheme is utilized where pilot sub-carrier bandwidth differs from data sub-carrier bandwidth. Because some user's data sub-carriers will no longer have the user's pilot sub-carriers adjacent to them, the set, or pattern of sub-carriers used by the pilot blocks changes at least once in a burst. Changing the pilot block pattern (the set of occupied pilot block sub-carriers) at least once in the burst serves to increase the frequency proximity of occupied data sub-carriers to occupied pilot sub-carriers in the burst.

A pilot signal is commonly used for communication systems to enable a receiver to perform a number of critical functions, including but not limited to, the acquisition and tracking of timing and frequency synchronization, the estimation and tracking of desired channels for subsequent demodulation and decoding of the information data, the estimation and monitoring of the characteristics of other channels for handoff, interference suppression, etc. Several pilot schemes can be utilized by communication systems, and typically comprise the transmission of a known sequence at known time intervals. A receiver, knowing the sequence only or knowing the sequence and time interval in advance, utilizes this information to perform the abovementioned functions.
For the uplink of future broadband systems, single-carrier based approaches with orthogonal frequency division are of interest. These approaches, particularly Interleaved Frequency Division Multiple Access (IFDMA) and its frequency-domain related variant known as DFT-Spread-OFDM (DFT-SOFDM), are attractive because of their low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), frequency domain orthogonality between users, and low-complexity frequency domain equalization.
In order to retain the low PAPR property of IFDMA/DFT-SOFDM, only a single IFDMA code should be transmitted by each user. This leads to restrictions on the pilot symbol format. In particular, a time division multiplexed (TDM) pilot block should be used, where data and pilots of a particular user are not mixed within the same IFDMA block. This allows the low PAPR property to be preserved and also enables the pilot to remain orthogonal from the data in multi-path channels, since there is conventionally a cyclic prefix between blocks. An example is shown in FIG. 1, where an IFDMA pilot block and subsequent IFDMA data blocks for a transmission frame or burst are shown.
While the TDM pilot approach is attractive for PAPR and pilot orthogonality, it limits the granularity available for specifying the pilot overhead, especially when a transmission frame or burst has a small number of IFDMA blocks. A second issue is that the pilot configuration remains fixed and is not adapted to the changing channel conditions. Therefore a need exists for a method and apparatus for pilot signal transmission that alleviates the above-mentioned problems.

Method and apparatus for pilot signal transmission