A recording apparatus with a device for recording information onto a medium, provided with: (i) a first layer irradiated with laser light to record information on a first area; and (ii) a second layer irradiated with laser light through the first layer and having a second area whose edge on an inner circumferential side corresponds to an edge on an outer circumferential side of the first area; and a controlling device for controlling the recording device to pre-record, into an area portion of the first area, other than an area portion having a size corresponding to a tolerance length, which indicates an acceptable range of a relative position shift between an address defined on the predetermined position in the first layer and an address related to the predetermined position in the second layer, with the edge on the outer circumferential side of the first area as a starting point.

In an information recording medium, such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), a CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) and a DVD-ROM, for example, as described in patent documents 1 and 2, etc., there is also developed an information recording medium, such as a multi-layer type optical disc, in which a plurality of recording layers are laminated or pasted on the same substrate. Then, on an information recording apparatus, such as a DVD recorder, for performing the recording with respect to the dual-layer type (i.e., two-layer type) optical disc, laser light for recording is focused on a recording layer located on the front (i.e. on the closer side to an optical pickup) as viewed from the irradiation side of the laser light (hereinafter referred to as an "L0 layer", as occasion demands) to thereby record data into the L0 layer in an irreversible change recording method or a rewritable method by heat. Moreover, the laser light is focused or condensed on a recording layer located on the rear of the L0 layer (i.e. on the farther side from the optical pickup) as viewed from the irradiation side of the laser light (hereinafter referred to as an "L1 layer", as occasion demands), through the L0 layer or the like, to thereby record information into the L1 layer in the irreversible change recording method or the rewritable method by heat.    patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2000-311346    patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-23237

Recording device, recording method, and computer program


An integrated circuit having a plurality of processing stages includes a low power mode controller operable to control the integrated circuit to switch between an operational mode and a standby mode. At least one of the processing stages has a non-delayed latch to capture a non-delayed value of an output signal from that processing stage and a delayed latch operable during the operational mode to capture a delayed value of the same signal. A difference between these two captured signals is indicative of the processing operation not being completed at the time the non-delayed signal was captured. The delayed latch is operable during the standby mode to retain the signal it captured whilst the non-delayed latch is powered down and loses its value. The delayed latch is formed to have a lower power consumption than the non-delayed latch.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to the field of integrated circuits having data retention latches used to retain the state of the integrated circuit in a standby mode, during which the integrated circuit does not perform processing operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide data retention latches (sometimes referred to as balloon latches) within integrated circuits for the purpose of retaining state data in a low power standby mode of operation. These data retention latches can be formed to have electrical characteristics well suited to their low power standby mode type of operation, e.g. they can have a high threshold voltage resulting in low leakage current losses. Such low power characteristics are normally not suitable for use in the operational circuits which must switch at high speed during data processing. However, the data retention latches need not operate at high speed and so can be engineered with low power consumption in mind. When entering the standby mode, the state data is typically transferred from the operational latch into the data retention latch and then the operational latch is powered down. On exiting the standby mode, the stored data value held within the data retention latch is forced back from the data retention latch into the operational latch and processing operations are recommenced. This provides advantageously rapid entry and exit from standby mode without data loss.
A problem associated with the use of data retention latches in this way is the large number of data retention latches which typically need to be provided on an integrated circuit to hold sufficient of its state that processing operations can be stopped and restarted without data loss. The circuit area consumed by such a large number of data retention latches is a disadvantageous overhead.
It has been proposed that in order to achieve better performance, in terms of speed and/or energy consumption, operational latches within an integrated circuit should be associated with delayed latches serving to capture the same signal value as the operational latch but at a slightly later time. The two captured values can then be compared and if the delayed captured value differs from the earlier captured value, then corrective action may be taken. Such an arrangement allows the circuit to be operated closer to the limiting levels of speed and/or voltage etc. Such an arrangement will typically control operational parameters such that a finite error rate is maintained in a recognition that the penalty associated with recovering from such errors is more than outweighed by the advantages achieved in running closer to the operational limits of the integrated circuit.

Data retention latch provision within integrated circuits


A snare drum design attaches snare string(s) in a manner to protect the snare string(s) from damage at the snare gate. More particularly, the snare drum design prolongs the useful life of snare strings by providing a friction resistance member along an inner periphery of a snare gate formed in the snare rim.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to snare drums, and particularly to a mechanism and design for attaching snare wire(s) in a manner to protect the snare wire(s) from damage. More particularly, the present invention provides a snare drum design which prolongs the useful life of snare wires by reducing frictional resistance on the snare wires.
b) Description of Related Art
Snare drums are percussion instruments having several gut, nylon, wire or wire-covered silk strings, called snares, stretched across the lower, or snare, head. The snares vibrate sympathetically with the lower head to which vibration is transmitted from the upper or batter head by air vibrations inside the drum. Vibrations of the snares cause a snappy, penetrating relatively high-pitched sound. The modern snare drum has a cylindrical shell of wood, plywood, or metal 3.5-12 inches high and 10-16 inches in diameter. Deeper models called field or guard's pattern drums are used in many military bands. The heads, beaten with two tapered wooden sticks ending in small knobs, are of calfskin or plastic. They are held in place by a flesh hoop around which the membrane is lapped and a counterhoop. Membrane tensioning is by screws that act independently on each head by metal rods, or, now chiefly in military bands, by rope lacings.
In conventional snare drums, a strainer 40 is mounted to the drum shell for applying strain or tension to snare string 28, or releasing tension and allowing snare string 28 to fall away from the snare head 18. The snare string 28 typically extend from the strainer through a snare gate formed with at least one aperture 30 passing through the snare rim 22. See FIG. 1 for an illustration of the major components of a snare drum.
Conventional snare drums however suffer from deterioration of the snare string 28 as a result of wear on the snare gate or the apertures 30. Tension causes unwanted wear and eventual failure of the snare string 28. This unwanted wear is magnified by the constant adjustment of the snare tension by the strainer 40.
The need therefore exists for a snare drum design which reduces or eliminates this unwanted wear on the snare string 28, and particular for a snare gate design which does not negatively impact the snares during use.

Snare rim design for prolonged snare wire life


A method for heating a glow plug for a diesel engine to its desired temperature by supplying power to the glow plug in a controlled fashion. During a certain time interval after termination of a previous glow process, a mathematical model is used to determine the values for the supply of power to the glow plug, which includes the values of the actual thermal state of the glow plug, the time elapsed since the end of the previous glow process and the parameters of the diesel engine relevant for a glow process.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for heating a glow plug for a diesel engine to a desired or set temperature, by passing current through the glow plug in a controlled manner.
2. Description of Related Art
A method of the above noted type is used to bring a glow plug of a diesel engine up to the set temperature at which the engine can be started.
A method for controlling the heating-up of a glow plug for a diesel engine is known from MTZ 10/2000 "The electronically controlled ISS glow system for diesel engines", in which the glow command or the glow request is given after initialization of the engine control system has been completed, after the temperature of the engine elements has been determined via the engine control system and communication has then been successfully set up between the engine control system and the glow controller.
In order to control the heating-up of a glow plug of a diesel engine, it is important to know the thermal state of the glow plug, especially in the case of a quick-start glow plug, for example, the residual temperature of the glow plug after a previous glow process during a re-start, and to incorporate it in the subsequent control.
A quick-start glow plug which is designed so that its nominal voltage lies far below the available supply voltage in order to achieve a short heat-up time and which, for example, is designed for a voltage of 5 V in order to achieve an inertia temperature of 1000° C. at a supply voltage of 12 V, has hitherto been operated such that the resistance of the glow plug is checked before initiating the quick-glow phase in order to determine any glow process which may have taken place previously. If an already hot glow plug is heated, it can be damaged by excess temperature. Thus, for safety reasons, if a hot glow plug is identified, for example, in the event of a re-start, this is only acted upon with a low voltage, e.g., the nominal voltage, in order to avoid any overheating. However, this has the disadvantage that this following glow process takes place very slowly so that the glow plug requires a very long time to reach the desired temperature. For example, if the ignition key is actuated twice in quick succession, the pre-glow phase of the second pre-glow process requires about 10 seconds as compared with a value of 2 seconds in the first glow attempt in order to reach the same temperature.

Method for heating a glow plug for a diesel engine


By installing a device control module (DCM), a functional component module (FCM), and a guarantee card FCM of a digital video cassette recorder (DVCR) into an integrated receiver decoder (IRD), the IRD is able to control the DVCR. The guarantee card FCM is used for accessing an electronic guarantee card stored in a non-volatile memory of the DVCR. The IRD stores purchase information or repair information of the DVCR into the non-volatile memory of the DVCR via an IEEE-1394 serial bus in response to an instruction from a requester. The IRD also reads the purchase information or the repair information from the non-volatile memory of the DVCR via the IEEE-1394 serial bus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to information processing apparatuses and methods, and recording media therefore. More particularly, the invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method for storing, for example, information concerning purchase and repair information of electronic apparatuses, and to a recording medium for storing a program implementing the above-described method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a home network system using, for example, an IEEE-1394serial bus, a plurality of electronic apparatuses, such as an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) and a digital video cassette recorder (DVCR) are connected to each other, and information is transmitted and received therebetween, thereby reading or recording images or sound information. In the IEEE-1394 serial bus, one electronic apparatus controls other electronic apparatuses by sending an audio video/control (AV/C) command to them.
As middleware which hides the AV/C command from various types of application software, the home audio/video interoperability architecture (HAVi) (trademark) is known. According to the HAVi, electronic apparatuses are controlled by a device control module (DCM).
When such electronic apparatuses break down, they need repairing. Normally, a guarantee card is attached to an electronic apparatus in order to guarantee failures occurring during a predetermined period after purchasing the apparatus. A repair technician checks the guarantee card and repairs the defect free of charge if the failure has occurred within the predetermined guarantee period.
However, it is troublesome to keep the guarantee card and it is also easy to lose it. If the guarantee card is lost, the user has to pay for the services, even within the guarantee period.
Accordingly, for managing electronic apparatuses, a special writer may be used for recording repair information and guarantee-card information in the electronic apparatuses, and a special reader may be used for reading the information from the electronic apparatuses.
In order to implement such a technique, however, it is necessary to connect the electronic apparatus to the special reader/writer so as to transmit and receive information. Additionally, it is necessary for the repair technician to bring the special reader/writer every time the electronic apparatus is repaired, which is troublesome.

Information processing apparatus and method, and recording medium therefor


A driveshaft includes a first end, a second end, and a length extending from the first end to the second end. The driveshaft includes an engagement section at the first end configured to cooperatively engage and transfer torque to a gearbox. The driveshaft also includes a compressible section configured to selectively decrease the length of the driveshaft. The driveshaft being configured to transition between an engaged configuration, wherein the engagement portion is engaged with the gearbox, and a disengaged configuration, wherein the compressible section is compressed, and the engagement portion is disengaged from the apparatus.

Many types of aircraft include elongated wings that extend laterally from a fuselage. These types of aircraft generally occupy a large amount of space and have a large overall footprint. As such, when these types of aircraft are not in use, they occupy an undesirably large amount of space to store them on aircraft carriers, in hangers, runways, and other spaces. And furthermore, access to hangars and/or other indoor maintenance or repair facilities may be restricted because some types of aircraft may not fit through the doors and/or entrances of such facilities. Accordingly, technology has been developed that allows for the rotation of the wing relative to the fuselage to minimize the footprint of the aircraft. One such example is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/898,550, filed Feb. 17, 2018, titled Selectively Engageable Aircraft Driveshaft Off-Axis From Component Stow Axis, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The selectively engageable driveshaft is translated along its axis of rotation between an engaged and disengaged position by an actuator.


An acrylate is polymerized by the photo-decomposition of ##STR1## to make a polymeric intermediate containing dithiocarbamate groups at both its ends, and a hard polymer-forming monomer is polymerized by the photo-decomposition of this dithiocarbamate group-containing polymeric intermediate to form blocks of a polymer of said hard polymer-forming monomer on both sides of said polymeric intermediate, thereby forming an ABA type block copolymer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a block copolymer with rubber elasticity. More specifically, the instant invention is concerned with an ABA type block copolymer having an acrylic ester residue in its intermediate block, which may be used in applications wherein the (raw or starting materials used are required to possess rubber elasticity, for instance, as the (raw or starting) materials for elastomers, sealants, packings, adhesives, solvent type adhesive materials, hot-melt adhesive materials, heat sealants, vibration-proof materials, sound absorbers, solings, sports goods, toys, hoses, tubes, automotive parts and so on.
2. Prior Art
In many cases, block copolymers possess the properties inherent in their constitutional blocks.
Development of block copolymers having an acrylic ester residue in their intermediate blocks has thus been potentially expected because of an acrylic ester excelling in flexibility, weather resistance and chemical resistance. Until now in regard to block copolymers having an intermediate block of acrylic ester residues and their preparation, however, only the block copolymer synthesized with a polymeric peroxide has been proposed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 61(1986)-287915.
However, the block copolymer proposed in that publication is a so-called AB type diblock copolymer. In general, the AB type diblock copolymer is free from elastic nature, say, rubber elasticity, since although one block is under constraint as a frozen or crystalline phase, yet the other is free. For that reason, such a diblock copolymer could not be used in various applications in which rubber elasticity is required, as already mentioned.

Mitsubishi Petrochemical Company Limited


Provided is a method for producing a perfluoroalkylated compound at low cost, safely and with high efficiency. A method for producing a perfluoroalkylated compound, comprising reacting a bis(perfluoroalkanoyl) peroxide with a compound having a carbon-carbon unsaturated bond and/or an aromatic ring having a hydrogen atom bonded thereto in the presence of a copper catalyst.

A perfluoroalkyl group, particularly trifluoromethyl group, is known as an important functional group contained in agricultural chemicals, medicines, functional materials and the like, and a method for efficiently introducing it into various compounds is required.
Many medicinal preparations comprising a compound having a structure in which a trifluoromethyl group is directly bonded to an aromatic ring such as a benzene ring are known, and include flufenamic acid (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent) and regorafenib (an antineoplastic drug).
Examples of a compound having a structure in which a trifluoromethyl group is bonded to an sp3 carbon atom include prosulfuron (a herbicide), fluralaner (an insecticide), tolprocarb (a microbiocide), 7-methoxy-2-methyl-3-(6,6,6-trifluorohexyl)-4(1H)-quinolone (an antimalarial drug; Non Patent Literature 1).
1-Trifluoromethyl-1,2-benziodoxol-3(1H)-one (Togni reagent II) is an electrophilic trifluoromethylating reagent developed by Togni et al. It has been reported that when the reagent is used in the reaction with an olefin, a compound having a trifluoromethyl group introduced at allyl position is given (Non Patent Literature 2).
However, Togni reagent II has such problems that it is expensive and at risk of explosion.
Non Patent Literature 3 discloses that a perfluoroalkanoic anhydride (20 equivalents) was added to a urea-hydrogen peroxide complex (10 equivalents) in dichloromethane at 0° C. over 10 minutes in the absence of a metal catalyst to produce a bis(perfluoroalkanoyl) peroxide in the system, and the resulting bis(perfluoroalkanoyl) peroxide was then reacted with an aromatic compound under the same temperature condition for 1 to 2 hours to obtain the corresponding perfluoroalkylated compound. This method has been applied to various heterocyclic rings and electron-rich aromatic rings, but the yields have remained at most 50% for the heterocyclic ring and at most 36% for the benzene ring. It has also been reported that a large excess of urea-hydrogen peroxide complex is required and the reaction does not proceed at room temperature.

Method for producing perfluoroalkylated compound


An optical module includes a wavelength variable interference filter that selects light of a predetermined wavelength from incident light, and can change the wavelength of emitted light; a global shutter imaging element that accumulates electric charges while being exposed to the emitted light, and outputs a detection signal in response to the accumulated electric charges; an imaging element controller for setting a photodetection period during which the electric charges are accumulated in the imaging element, and a standby period during which the electric charges accumulated in the imaging elements are reset; and a spectroscopic controller for controlling the wavelength change driving of the emitted light. The imaging element controller sets the duration of the standby period to a minimum drive time for changing the wavelength or greater. The spectroscopic controller starts the wavelength change driving at the start of the standby period.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical module, an electronic apparatus, and a method of driving the optical module.
2. Related Art
The related art (for example, JP-A-2013-17507) discloses a spectrometry apparatus as an electronic apparatus including a spectroscopic element that can extract a predetermined wavelength of light from incident light and can change the extracted wavelength, and an imaging element that photodetects the light extracted by the spectroscopic element, and in which the spectrometry apparatus performs a spectroscopic measurement by detecting the amount of light photodetected by the imaging element.
JP-A-2013-17507 discloses a spectroscopic imaging apparatus (spectrometry apparatus) including an imaging element that alternates a light shielding period and a light exposure period; a spectroscopic element that can change an interplanar spacing of facing optical substrates; and an interplanar spacing control unit that controls the interplanar spacing.
The spectroscopic apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2013-17507, the interplanar spacing control unit changes the interplanar spacing of the spectroscopic element to a spacing corresponding to the wavelength of a subsequent measurement target, by using a predetermined light shielding period of the imaging element.
In the apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2013-17507, the interplanar spacing control unit outputs a control signal, and controls the spectroscopic element to end an operation of changing the interplanar spacing at the end of the light shielding period, while taking account of the fact that the spectroscopic element starts and ends the changing operation at delayed timings with respect to an output timing of the control signal.
However, in the apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2013-17507, the predetermined light shielding period is set to be much longer than the changing operation regardless of the time required for the changing operation.
For this reason, a measurement time increases by the time from the start of the light shielding period to the start of the changing operation.

Optical module, electronic apparatus, and method of driving optical module


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: to realize a wide bandwidth light source capable of a stable operation providing a less spectrum variation.

One of fields expected for application of a wide bandwidth light source is clinical medicine. Conventionally, for finding early diseases such as a cancer, it has been widely carried out to obtain a tomographic image of a specific site of a human body by using a variety of approaches such as X-ray, sonic wave, or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging tomography.) Such the tomographic image with higher resolution makes higher or more reliable pathologic diagnosis possible. Thus, as exemplified by OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography,) development has been continuing for obtaining the image with high spatial resolution, enabling to distinguish each cell. For this purpose, a broadband light source is desired in order to radiate light, which is emitted from an interferometer to a tissue.
Typical approaches for obtaining the wide bandwidth light source include the following examples.    (1) Approach by using an active gain medium such as a laser medium.    (2) Approach by using nonlinear effects
Of these two approaches, the approach using the active gain medium such as a laser medium to increase in the gain is described as follows. In this approach, the wide bandwidth light source is realized by amplifying the spontaneous emission light (ASE: a noun expressing a sense opposite to stimulated emission light). Such the wide bandwidth light source includes an optical fiber (EDFA: Er-doped fiber amplification, etc.) doped with rare earths ions, for example, Er (erbium,) Tm (thulium,) Pr (praseodymium,) and the like (refer to patent document 1.) According to patent document 1, a pump light having different wavelengths or light intensities is coupled to each of both ends or near places around the both ends of the Er-doped optical fiber. Then, the spontaneous emission light, which is emitted by absorption of the pump light in a rare earth ions contained in a core of rare earth-doped fiber, is used as an output of the wide bandwidth light source.
Next, (2) Approach by using the nonlinear effect is described as follows. As will be described below, this approach utilizes nonlinear effects in fibers such as. super-continuum(SC) generation, optical solitons, and so on. The super-continuum light source generates the light with an ultra-wide bandwidth by launching a high intensity light pulse into the third-order nonlinear medium. In addition, it has been proposed to make an optical soliton pulse as the wide bandwidth white light by using adiabatic pulse compression device composed of an anomalous dispersion optical fiber and the white light-emitting device, which is composed of a normal dispersion optical fiber and used for expanding a spectral width (refer to patent document 2.) According to this proposal, the light pulse, which is outputted from a light pulse source, is amplified up to a peak intensity, in which an optical soliton of the first-order is made at the emission end of a adiabatic pulse compressor, by using a light amplifier. Subsequently, by using the adiabatic pulse compressor, as the optical fiber, in which an anomalous dispersion value decreases from an incident end to the emission end, the optical soliton is subjected to adiabatic compression. The optical soliton compressed in such the way is properly amplified by another light amplifier. Then, a spectral width is expanded by using the white light emitter to emit as the white light having a high coherence and the wide bandwidth. In this way, a coherent light source is obtained providing the wide bandwidth of 225 nm of which wavelengths range from 1.45 μm to 1.68 μm.
For the optical coherence tomography as described first, a proposal has been made to measure information contained in a living body tissue by using a superluminescent diode (SLD) as the light source through optical coherence (interference fringe) (refer to non-patent document 1, for example.) The SLD light source has short temporal coherence and high spatial coherence unlike a laser sources. Where, the temporal coherence is defined as the correlation or predictable relationship of phase between optical waves observed at different moments in time. The spatial coherence is defined as the correlation of phase between optical waves at different points in space. In the case of the superluminescent diode (SLD) light source having 16 nm of the spectral width, the spatial resolution ranges from 10 to 20 μm. The spectral width is in the inverse proportion to the spatial resolution. Therefore, in order to obtain a high spatial resolution, the spectral width should be expanded.
There are the following problems in the conventional approaches as described above.    (1) The case of the wide bandwidth light source using active ions of rare earths arises a problem in that the bandwidth of the wide bandwidth light source is limited to a gain spectrum bandwidth of the active ions.    (2) The case of the wide bandwidth light source using the optical soliton pulse arises a problem in that (a) modulation instability is present (side-band instability.) In addition, there is the problem of (b) nonlinearity and dispersion controls are difficult. Particularly, to solve the latter (b) problem, dispersion should be closed to zero as possible to produce short pulses. However, there arises the following problem in this way: stable manufacture is difficultly realized and, also, reproducibility becomes difficult.
Therefore, the proposal is made for the light source providing a strong optical signal and a very wide bandwidth in comparison with these conventional techniques. According to this proposal, the laser light source called a noise-like laser is used as an optical pulse-generating device. Moreover, accompanied with this, a highly nonlinear optical fiber such as a Ge(germanium) doped Silica based optical fiber and a photonic crystal fiber is used as device for generating the white pulses as a wide bandwidth light. The noise-like laser is described below. The wide bandwidth light source according to this proposal has an optical signal spectrum with excellent flatness of light intensity ranging from 1.2 μm to 2.0 μm wavelengths. Thus, using this wide bandwidth light source enables to perform loss evaluation of a wide range of optical components, which includes that used for optical access systems, for the range of wavelengths between 1.2 μm and 1.65 μm. In addition, use of the wide bandwidth light source as the light source for OCT makes possible very excellent precision analysis carried out in some micrometers or shorter spatial resolution.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventionally proposed wide bandwidth light source using the laser light source called the noise-like laser. Wide bandwidth light source 100 is constituted by optical pulse-generating device 102 comprising ring resonator fiber laser 101 and white light-emitting device 104 for inputting optical pulse 103 outputted from this optical pulse-generating device 102. White light-emitting device 104 is constituted by HNL (highly nonlinear) fiber 105. Where, in HNL fiber 105, a dispersion value is −0.60 ps2/km per 1550 nm, zero dispersion wavelength is 1532 nm, dispersion slope is −0.0366 ps2/km/nm, nonlinear constant is 20/W/km, loss is 1.59 dB per 1550 nm, and length of fiber is 1 km. Optical pulse-generating device 102 is connected to optical pulse-emitting device 104 by using single mode optical fiber 106.
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of the optical pulse-generating device according to this proposal. Optical pulse-generating device 102 has ring resonator fiber laser 101. In ring resonator fiber laser 101, one end of each of a first and second single mode optical fiber (SMF) 113 and 114 made of Coming Incorporated. (USA)-made Flexcore(product name is "Flexcore 1060") is connected to each of one end of a first and a second dispersion shift fibers (DSF) 111 and 112 having 1.8 m each the length and Er-doped optical fiber (EDF) 115 having 2.5 m length is connected to the other ends of the above fibers. To Er-doped optical fiber (EDF) 115 is connected WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) coupler 118 for inputting pump light 117 of 1480 nm wavelength from laser diode (LD) 116 as pump light source for pumping.
On each other side of first and second dispersion shift fibers 111 and 112, a first or a second collimate lenses 121 and 122 are arranged to convert the light to be propagated to a spatial parallel beam. In space portions opposite to these first and second collimate lenses 121 and 122, first λ/4 waveplate 123, the λ/2 waveplate 124, polarizing beam splitter (PBS) 125, optical isolator (ISO) 126, and second λ/4 waveplate 127 are arranged serially starting from the first collimate lens 121. The laser light split by polarizing beam splitter 125 is coupled to output optical fiber 129 by using output coupling collimate lens 128 to be sent to an output port not illustrated. The total length of ring resonator fiber laser 101 is 14 m and a longitudinal mode interval of the optical resonator is 14.3 MHz.
In this conventional optical pulse-generating device 102, optical fiber 106 is used for ring resonator fiber laser 101. Optical isolator 126 propagates a light wave traveling in the right direction and blocks the light wave traveling in the opposite direction in FIG. 2. Therefore, the light pulse circulates clockwise around inside of the ring resonator. The output light thereof is partially extracted from the output port by an output coupler constituted by λ/2 waveplate 124 and polarizing beam splitter 125, rotating λ/2 waveplate 124 causes rotation of a plane of polarization. On the other hand, polarizing beam splitter 125 has characteristics in that a horizontally polarized light travels straight and a vertically polarized light is reflected on a 45 deg plane. Using these characteristics allows an output ratio of the output coupler to be variably regulated in the range between 0 and 100 percents.
Meanwhile, first λ/4 waveplate 123 is used for adjustment of the polarization state, which is normally elliptic polarization, of the light wave inputted from first dispersion shift fiber 111 to a desired polarization state. Second λ/4 waveplate 127 is used for adjustment of the polarization state, which is linear polarization, of the light wave inputted passing through optical isolator 126 to make it coincide with an inherent polarization mode state of an optical fiber path.
FIG. 3 shows a temporal waveform of an output pulse train outputted by this conventional optical pulse-generating device. Optical pulse 103 (FIG. 1) outputted by optical pulse-generating device 102 illustrated in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 makes a pulse train generated in a predetermined time interval. The time interval of optical pulse 103 is 70 ns nanoseconds: 10−9 seconds) and the cyclic frequency is 14.3 MHz.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a spectrum of the optical pulse outputted by the conventional optical pulse-generating device. A full width at half maximum of the spectrum of optical pulse 103 is 87 nm.
FIG. 5 shows a change of the spectrum with an average output power of the optical pulse-generating device and the length of the single mode optical fiber. The same fig (a) coincides with the spectrum of the optical pulse shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, the combination of the average output power (mW) of optical pulse-generating device 102 (FIG. 1) with the length (m) of the single mode optical fiber 106, in which optical pulse-generating device 102 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to optical pulse-emitting device 104, is changed. From these figures, it can be known that the optical pulse with a relatively narrow bandwidth as shown in the same figure (a) changes to the optical pulse with a relatively wide bandwidth as shown in the same figure (e.)
As described above, realizing wide bandwidth light source 100, shown in FIG. 1, by using the noise-like laser enables to realize the wide bandwidth light source having a flat and preferable spectrum characteristic in comparison with the conventional wide bandwidth light source. For example, optical pulse 103e as shown in the same figure (e) realizes, in the case where an average input power is 72 mW, the flat and preferable spectrum characteristic having a bandwidth of 800 or more nm in the range between 1200 nm wavelength and 2000 nm wavelength.
Patent document 1: Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2003-347630 (paragraph No. 0011, FIG. 1)
Patent document 2: Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H11-160744 (paragraph No. 0037, FIG. 3)
Non-patent document 1: Optronics Monthly (July 2003, p. 219)
However, the wide bandwidth light source according to the present proposal uses passive mode-locking. Therefore, when vibration and a temperature change occur in outside of the wide bandwidth light source, a signal spectrum and an output light amount vary sensitively and, thus, mode-locking is not stably reproduced. Hence, in the worst case, mode-locking is not maintained. Moreover, in the noise-like laser as the optical pulse-generating device at the start of the operation, a light ray propagation path thereof is partially constituted by the optical fiber. Therefore, when a temperature as an external environmental factor changes, a thermal stress of the optical fiber constituting the noise-like laser changes. As the result, an internal polarization state of the optical fiber is changed by the stress and a temperature status of the optical fiber at different times. Consequently, a very small birefringent amount of inside of the optical fiber changes and, then, the inherent polarization mode state for internal propagation is broken. From these causes, there is a problem in that mode-locking is difficult to operate in the wide bandwidth light source according to the present proposal.
When stable operation is not performed, output stability of the wide bandwidth light source according to the present proposal is 1 or more dB in the case where measurement is carried out for 1 hour. For use as the light source for loss evaluation of optical components, output stability should be 0.3 or less dB and preferably 0.1 or less dB. Therefore, a stable operation method providing a less spectrum variation should be found. Also for external factorial changes such as temperature change, a stable operation mechanism to maintain the polarization mode state of the optical fiber and keep optical output strength stable is absolutely necessary.

Abstract: SOLUTION: Optical pulses 202 outputted by this optical pulse-generating device 201 are split by optical coupler 210. The one of split optical pulses is inputted in white light-emitting device 204 to emit the white light having the wide bandwidth. The other split is inputted in optical band pass filter 212 in operation-stabilizing circuit 207. Optical detector 213 detects a signal level of a specific wavelength and input in feedback circuit 215 to generate first and second feedback signals 205 and 206. Ring resonator fiber laser 208 uses any one of them and controls a rotation angle of the waveplate to realize stabilization of the output.


A functionalized polymer system is described herein for preparing and/or modifying biological implants and prostheses. In one aspect, the polymer system once applied to the surface of a biological implant or prosthesis, or once used in preparing a biological implant or prosthesis comprises a surface that is more hydrophilic, more wettable, more comfortable, resists cell adhesion, resists protein deposition, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, a coated biological implant or prosthetic is described herein. The coated biological implant or prosthetic comprises a substrate forming the basic structure of the implant or prosthetic, and a coating comprising a polymer, where the coating is capable of resisting cell adhesion, protein deposition, or a combination thereof.

A functionalized polymer system is described herein for preparing and/or modifying biological implants and prostheses. In one aspect, the polymer system once applied to the surface of a biological implant or prosthesis, or once used in preparing a biological implant or prosthesis comprises a surface that is more hydrophilic, more wettable, more comfortable, resists cell adhesion, resists protein deposition, or a combination thereof.
In one embodiment, a coated biological implant or prosthetic is described herein. The coated biological implant or prosthetic comprises a substrate forming the basic structure of the implant or prosthetic, and a coating comprising a polymer, where the coating is capable of resisting cell adhesion, protein deposition, or a combination thereof.
In another embodiment, a coated biological implant or prosthetic is described herein. The coated biological implant or prosthetic comprises a substrate forming the basic structure of the implant or prosthetic, and a coating comprising a polymer, where the coating is capable of increasing the hydrophilicity of the coated biological implant or prosthetic compared to the substrate.
In another embodiment, a coated biological implant or prosthetic is described herein. The coated biological implant or prosthetic comprises a substrate forming the basic structure of the implant or prosthetic, and a coating comprising a polymer, where the coating is capable of increasing the wettability of the coated biological implant or prosthetic compared to the substrate.
In another embodiment, a coated biological implant or prosthetic is described herein. The coated biological implant or prosthetic comprises a substrate forming the basic structure of the implant or prosthetic, and a coating comprising a polymer, where the coating is capable of improving the comfort of the coated biological implant or prosthetic compared to the substrate.
In another embodiment, a coated biological implant or prosthetic is described herein. The coated biological implant or prosthetic comprises a substrate forming the basic structure of the implant or prosthetic, and a coating comprising a polymer, where the coating is capable of increasing the hydrophilicity and/or wettability of the coated biological implant or prosthetic compared to the substrate as a function of decreasing the contact angle of an aqueous solution on the coated biological implant or prosthetic compared to the substrate.
In another embodiment, a process for coating an implant or prosthetic is described herein. The process comprises the step of contacting a substrate forming the basic structure of the implant or prosthetic with a solution of a polymer.
In another embodiment, a biological implant or prosthetic is described herein. The biological implant or prosthetic comprises a polymer, where the polymer forms the basic structure of the implant, and once formed, where the polymer displays a surface of the implant or prosthetic that resists cell adhesion, protein deposition, or a combination thereof.
In another embodiment, a biological implant or prosthetic is described herein. The biological implant or prosthetic comprises a polymer, where the polymer forms the basic structure of the implant, and once formed, where the polymer displays a surface of the implant or prosthetic that exhibits a low contact angle with an aqueous solution.
In another embodiment, a coating composition is described herein. The coating composition includes a coating polymer as described herein and a solvent.

Surface coatings for biological implants and prostheses

Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation


A combustion engine cylinder head has at one wall of the cylinder head at least one hot site produced by the radiant heat of a combustion space. The hot site is cooled by a cooling duct, through which cooling water is flowing. To optimize the cooling of the hot site, an additional flow channel is provided, for a concerted flow of cooling water and for carrying additional cooling water in the cooling duct and for cooling of the hot site in the wall of the cylinder head.

This application claims the priority of German Patent Document 199 43 001.2, filed Sep. 9, 1999, the disclosures of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a cylinder head for a water-cooled internal combustion engine which in use has at least one hot site caused by radiant heat of a combustion space at a wall of the cylinder head, which hot site is cooled by a cooling duct through which cooling water is flowing.
A cylinder head for a valve-controlled internal combustion engine with water cooling is known from European Patent Document EP 0088 157 A 1 and comprises cylinder head measures for decreasing thermal loads. For this purpose, a nozzle-like main water crossing is provided, which produces a flow acting between exhaust and refill ducts.
In FIG. 3, European Patent Document EP 0353988 A1 shows a cylinder head, which is water cooled and has a hot site in the region of one wall of the cylinder head. The hot site extends between a central spark plug and a combustion space.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,305,457 deals with a water-cooled cylinder head with cooling ducts extending around exhaust valves. These cooling ducts, in the vicinity of the exhaust valves, have walls which are cooled by means of a cooling medium distributed over spray nozzles.
Finally, German Patent Document DE 3412 052 C2 is concerned with a cylinder head which is provided with valves that are surrounded by valve-seat rings. These valve-seat rings are bounded by annular ducts which carry the cooling water.
It is an object of the invention to configure a cooling duct of a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine in such a manner that, in particular, pronounced hot sites of the cylinder head are cooled with flowing cooling water.
Pursuant to the invention, this objective is accomplished by providing a cylinder head for a water-cooled internal combustion engine which in use has at least one hot site brought about by radiant heat of a combustion space at a wall of the cylinder head, which hot site is cooled by means of a cooling duct through which cooling water is flowing, wherein flow structure carrying additional cooling water is provided in the cooling duct for a concerted flow of cooling water and for cooling the hot site at the wall of the cylinder head.
The following description and the claims describe advantageous features of preferred embodiments of the invention.
Advantages achieved with the invention are that the flow measures carrying additional cooling water bring about a concerted flow of cooling water and cooling in the region of the hot site, that is, at the wall of the cooling duct, which extends, for example, between the central spark plug and a combustion space. The flow measures are particularly effective if they are formed by one or more additional ducts, at least one additional duct being directed onto the hot site. This additional duct is connected with a duct supplying cooling water which is provided in a cylinder housing mounted at the cylinder head. Moreover, in addition to the flow measures, one or more control measures are disposed in the cooling duct and likewise ensure a concerted flow of cooling water and cooling of the hot site at the wall of the cylinder head. The flow measures and the control measures bring about a concerted flow of the cooling water to the hot site and thus reduce the risk of a temperature-induced excessive stress. In turn, this makes it possible, on the one hand, to use standard materials (AlSi 10 and AlSi 7) for the structural design of the cylinder head and, on the other, to reduce clearly the number of defective units, which are particularly costly especially in the case of cylinder heads of internal combustion engines.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Cylinder head for a water-cooled internal combustion engine


In embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a solution for managing a USB connection between a USB device and a host device. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a USB management server receives, from a USB management client at a host device, USB ID information for identifying a USB device that is plugged into the host device. Whether the USB ID information is valid is determined based on an authentication policy for authenticating the USB device. If the USB ID information is valid, the USB management client is instructed to permit a connection between the USB device and the host device. Accordingly, the connection may be managed by the USB management server. Embodiments of the present disclosure present an effective way for managing USB connections in a centralized way, which provides various flexible authentication policies and requires less manual operations.

Nowadays, there are more and more types of USB devices. USB devices such as USB storage disks, USB cameras and the like may be plugged into host devices. These USB devices may establish USB connections with the host devices for communication. However, some host devices are not permitted to connect with external USB devices due to security reasons. Therefore, USB ports in these host devices should be disabled one by one, which leads to heavy manual labor and great time cost.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


A coaxial connector with a built-in capacitor includes: a core wire connection terminal having, on a rear end thereof, a core wire connection portion for connecting thereto a core wire of a coaxial cable; an inner terminal having, on a tip end thereof, a fitted/connected portion fitted and connected to an other party's terminal; an insulator holding the inner terminal while covering an outer circumference of the inner terminal, and having a holding hole of the core wire connection terminal on a rear end thereof; a shield terminal having, on a tip end thereof, a cylindrical shell portion that covers an outer circumference of the insulator, and having, on a rear end thereof, a shield conductor crimping portion for crimping and connecting thereto a shield conductor of the coaxial cable; and an inner dielectric that is sandwiched between a tip end portion of the core wire connection terminal and a rear end portion of the inner terminal, and thereby composes a capacitor function portion while using, as opposite electrodes, the tip end portion of the core wire connection terminal and the rear end portion of the inner terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coaxial connector with a built-in capacitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional example of a coaxial connector with a built-in capacitor, the one shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is known (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-55426 (FIG. 1, FIG. 6)).
This coaxial connector with a built-in capacitor is the one attached in advance onto a tip end of a coaxial cable 600 in order to connect the coaxial cable 600 to another party's cable (not shown). The coaxial cable 600 has a configuration, in which an outer circumference of a core wire 601 is covered with an insulator 602, an outer circumference of the insulator 602 is covered with a shield conductor 603 such as braided wires, and a protection coating 604 is provided on an outer circumference of the shield conductor 603.
This coaxial connector with a built-in capacitor includes: a capacitor 550 with attached lead wires, in which a pair of lead wires 552 and 553 are extended from a capacitor body 551 in opposite directions; an inner terminal 530 having, on a tip end thereof, a fitted/connected portion 531 with an attached spring 532, which is fitted and connected to an other party's terminal, and having, on a rear end thereof, a crimping portion 534 that crimps and connects the lead wire 552 as one of the pair in the capacitor 550 with attached lead wires; an insulator 520 having a terminal housing chamber 521 that houses and holds the inner terminal 530; a shield terminal 510 having, on a tip end thereof, a cylindrical shell portion 511 that covers an outer circumference of the insulator 520, and having, on a rear end thereof, a shield conductor crimping portion 512 for crimping and connecting thereto the shield conductor 603 of the coaxial cable 600; and a bundle crimping member 560 that crimps, as a bundle, the lead wire 553 as the other of the pair in the capacitor 550 with attached lead wires, and the core wire 601 of the coaxial cable 600.
In order to assemble the coaxial connector with a built-in capacitor, first, the lead wire 553 as one of the pair in the capacitor 550 with attached lead wires and the core wire 601 of the coaxial cable 600 are crimped as a bundle by the bundle crimping member 560, and the lead wire 552 as the other of the pair in the capacitor 550 with attached lead wires is crimped to the crimping portion 534 of the inner terminal 530. Thereafter, the inner terminal 530 is inserted into the terminal housing chamber 521 of the insulator 520 attached in advance into the shell portion 511 of the shield terminal 510, and the shield conductor 603 of the coaxial cable 600 is crimped to the shield conductor crimping portion 512 of the shield terminal 510. In such a manner as described above, a coaxial connector with a built-in capacitor, which has a configuration shown in FIG. 2, can be obtained.

Coaxial connector with built-in capacitor


A new cultivar of Phlox plant named ‘Blue Ribbons’ that is characterized by its variegated foliage with dark green centers and light green margins, its narrow leaves, its flowers that are violet-blue in color, and its fragrant flowers.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phlox paniculata and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, 'Blue Ribbons'. 'Blue Ribbons' represents a new evergreen perennial grown for landscape use.
'Blue Ribbons' was discovered by the Inventor as a naturally occurring branch mutation of a seedling of an unnamed and unpatented plant of Phlox divaricata that was grown in a trial garden in Raleigh, N.C. in April of 2016.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by stem cuttings by the Inventor in November of 2017 in Raleigh, N.C. Asexual propagation by stem cuttings has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A measurement method comprising using multiple radiation poles to illuminate a diffraction grating on a mask at a mask side of a projection system of a lithographic apparatus, coupling at least two different resulting diffraction orders per illumination pole through the projection system, using the projection system to project the diffraction orders onto a grating on a wafer such that a pair of combination diffraction orders is formed by diffraction of the diffraction orders, coupling the combination diffraction orders back through the projection system to detectors configured to measure the intensity of the combination diffraction orders, and using the measured intensity of the combination diffraction orders to measure the position of the wafer grating.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a target portion of a substrate (e.g. a wafer). Lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that circumstance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one or several dies) on a wafer (e.g. a silicon wafer) that has a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). In general, a single wafer will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively exposed. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through the beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the wafer parallel or anti parallel to this direction.
When projecting an image onto a wafer it is desirable to ensure that a wafer held on a wafer table is correctly positioned to receive the projected image. The wafer table is positioned using a positioning system which has six degrees of freedom (X, Y, Z, RX, RY, RZ). For any given position of the wafer table an error in each of the six degrees of freedom will be present. A calibration of the positioning system is performed to measure and record these errors. This calibration allows the wafer table to be accurately positioned during subsequent operation of the lithographic apparatus. One known method of calibrating the positioning of the wafer table is to image alignment marks onto a wafer in a closely packed arrangement, and then to develop the imaged alignment marks and measure their positions. This method is very time consuming, and may for example require several hours.
It is desirable to provide, for example, a method which obviates or mitigates one or more of the problems of the prior art, whether identified herein or elsewhere.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An unwind machine has three tension free loops between the paper roll that is unwinding and the utilization device that must be fed paper at a rate that varies widely. One loop is conventionally controlled, and the other loops act in sequence to accommodate progressively larger ranges of web speed at the utilization device while maintaining rotational speed changes at the paper roll within reasonable limits.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to unwind machines of the type adapted to deliver a paper web from a paper roll to a utilization device such as a laser printer, and to accommodate abrupt changes in the speed of the paper web in the laser printer.
2. Description of Prior Art
In order to accommodate the wide range of speed changes that a laser printer requires, unwind machines feed the paper web into the laser printer from a roll of paper web material and a free loop of the web material is provided between the laser printer and the paper roll. The paper roll is unwound by a driven belt or roller, which is driven at a variable speed in response to the output signal from an ultrasonic sensor that provides an indication of the depth of the free loop of the paper web. The free loop is formed between a driven roller and an idler roller provided one on each side of this free loop. The speed of the belt which unwinds the paper web from the roll is varied in direct proportion to the input provided from an ultrasonic or photocell type sensor in accordance with known control systems generally. The reader is referred to Waddington U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,655 and Meschi U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,146. for a more complete description of such prior art systems.
Present day laser printers require such a wide range of speed changes that unwind systems such as that described above have difficulty in accommodating the speed changes of the paper roll that must be accommodated. That is, the paper roll has considerable inertia, and once rotated at a particular speed requires considerable braking by, or acceleration of, the driven roller or belt that may be beyond the capabilities of present day unwind machines. There is a need for reducing the abrupt speed changes at the unwind roll itself when the laser printer either stops the paper web or in some cases, actually reverses the direction of its movement.

Energy Saving Products and Sales Corporation


Auxiliary transmission actuation mechanism 200 in a power transmission unit of a vehicle includes a transmission actuating gear 202, a gear driven bush 204, a gear actuating means 206, a shift fork 208, a shift rail 210, a clutch control valve actuating arm 212, a rail shifting means 214. The transmission actuating gear 202 is used to drive at least one of an even shaft and an odd shaft which in turn drives an output shaft through gears thereby propelling the vehicle when at least one of a dual clutch unit and a hydraulic system of vehicle is not functioning. The clutch control valve actuating arm 212 is adapted to engage a movable member of a clutch control valve assembly 100V thereby actuating clutch control valve 100V to de-actuate the dual clutch unit.

Generally, a power transmission system of a vehicle is used for transmitting power from an engine or an electric motor to the wheels of the vehicle for propelling the vehicle. A conventional dual clutch power transmission system in a vehicle includes a dual clutch unit, a first input shaft coupled to an odd clutch unit of the dual clutch unit, a second input shaft coupled to an even clutch unit of the dual clutch unit, an output shaft, a plurality of odd drive gears (first drive gear, third drive gear and fifth drive gear) are adapted to be rotatably mounted/connected to the first input shaft at corresponding predetermined positions, a plurality of even drive gears (second drive gear, fourth drive gear and sixth drive gear) are adapted to be rotatably mounted/connected to the second input shaft at corresponding predetermined positions, a plurality of odd driven gears (first driven gear, third driven gear and fifth driven gear) are adapted to be rotatably mounted/connected the output shaft at corresponding predetermined positions, a plurality of even driven gears (second driven gear, fourth driven gear and sixth driven gear) are adapted to be mounted onto the output shaft at corresponding predetermined positions, an electro-hydraulic control valve block and may include other standard components as present in a standard power transmission system. The first input shaft is co-axial to the second input shaft. The second input shaft is a hollow shaft thereby enabling the first input shaft to be provide inside the second input shaft. The first input shaft and the second input shaft is parallel to the output shaft. The electro-hydraulic control valve block control the dual clutch unit. The elector-hydraulic control valve block is efficient in controlling the dual clutch unit. However, the elector-hydraulic control valve block is subjected (prone) to errors due to malfunctioning of some electrical and/or electronic components/device.
Conventional solutions include an electrical and/or electronic arrangement which allows the operator (driver) to press a limp home mode button thereby enabling the operator to drive the vehicle to a service station for servicing the dual clutch unit and/or the hydraulic system. However, the aforementioned electrical and/or electronic arrangement is subjected (prone) to errors due to malfunctioning of some electrical and/or electronic components/devices.
Therefore, there exists a need for an auxiliary transmission actuation mechanism (can be considered as tow start mechanism/manual transmission starting mechanism) in a manual dual clutch power transmission unit of a vehicle, which obviates the aforementioned drawbacks.

Auxiliary transmission actuation mechanism in a manual dual clutch power transmission unit of a vehicle


Versions of a service not reachable by a set of service requestors that use the service are removed. Multiple, different versions of a service are stored, along with metadata associated with the multiple, different versions of the service. The metadata is examined to determine one or more of the multiple, different versions of the service that are not reachable by the set of service requestors that use the service. Those versions are deleted.

Software development platforms generally provide a framework to assist developers in developing applications. Software development platforms may include a runtime environment that supports the execution programs designed for the environment and provides common capabilities to those programs, and a static library that provides the functions and application programming interfaces (APIs) for designing programs for the environment.


An image forming apparatus comprises a sheet feeding cassette, a printing unit, and a sheet ejection tray. A first conveyance unit feeds the recording sheet from a front side of the sheet feeding cassette and inverts and conveys it to the printing unit. A path of a switchback conveyance unit extends from the printing unit to let the recording sheet switch back after the printing in an opposite direction to that the recording sheet is conveyed to the printing unit. A front and back side inversion conveyance unit conveys the printing sheet to the sheet ejection tray with a printed surface of the printing sheet facing down. Both of the sheet feeding position on the conveyance unit and the front and back side inversion conveyance unit are arranged on the front side in the image forming apparatus.

As is well know, an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunctional machine combining these devices, etc., utilizes a printing head having one or more liquid droplet ejection heads to eject liquid drops, such as ink, etc. Alternatively, an image forming apparatus employs an electrophotographic system and renders a latent image visible by supplying developer thereto. Specifically, the former liquid droplet ejection system forms an image by ejecting and adhering or impregnating liquid drops onto a recording medium, such as a recording sheet, etc., while conveying the recording medium.
Further, it is important for an image forming apparatus equipped with a liquid droplet ejection device to maintain and apply negative pressure to ink in a liquid droplet ejection head (i.e., pressure applied to ink needs to be kept negative in a liquid droplet ejection head) for the purpose of stabilizing ink ejection from the liquid droplet ejection head. For this reason, a negative pressure generator is generally included in an ink supply system that supplies ink to the liquid droplet ejection head. Thus, the ink is supplied to the liquid droplet ejection head under the negative pressure being applied by the negative pressure applicator.
By contrast, the latter image forming apparatus employing an electrophotographic process generally applies charging, exposing, developing, and transferring processes to a photoconductor serving as an image bearer, thereby forming an image thereon. A latent image formed on the photoconductor is then rendered visible by a developing device and is transferred onto a recording medium as a visual toner image.
Hence, in both of the liquid droplet ejection device and the electrophotographic system, a copy is obtained by forming an image on the recording medium. A recording sheet as one type of recording media is either conveyed from a sheet feeding cassette or a manual sheet feeding tray other than the sheet feeding cassette. A sheet feeding cassette system capable of feeding multiple recording sheets stacked in a sheet feeding cassette therefrom one by one is known, in which, for example, a mounting plate is provided in a body of the sheet feeding cassette to displace a leading end of the recording sheet toward an feeding roller, so that the feeding roller can feed a top most recording sheet contacting thereto among those stacked on the mounting plate.
Further, it is demanded these days that replacement of the above-described sheet feeding cassette and removal of printed sheets can be performed from the front of an apparatus body to improve usability. To fulfill such demand, it is attempted that a manual sheet feeding tray and a sheet ejection tray are provided above a detachably attached section for the sheet feeding cassette, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-16188 (JP-2006-16188-A). Specifically, it is disclosed in JP-2006-16188-A that recording sheets stacked on a sheet feeding cassette inserted from a front side of an ink jet printing system equipped with a liquid droplet ejection device are fed one by one from a rear side of the sheet feeding cassette, are conveyed by a conveyance belt to receive printing while facing a printing unit, and are then ejected onto a sheet ejection tray. Also disclosed in JP-2006-16188-A is an inversion conveyance path connected to a conveyance path, which is connected to the printing unit, at the rear side in the sheet feeding cassette to invert and convey the recording sheet toward the printing unit for printing on another side.
By arranging structural members of such operation objectives on the front side surface of the apparatus as shown in JP-2006-16188-A, operations to be executed at the rear side of the apparatus and hardly reachable by hand can be omitted. However, new problems arise. Specifically, since the inversion conveyance path protrudes outside the apparatus body equipped with the sheet feeding cassette, the footprint of the apparatus as a whole increases.
Further, since an feeding position where the recording sheet is fed from a sheet feeding cassette is at a rear side in the sheet feeding cassette installed in the apparatus (i.e., an opposite side to the front side of the apparatus), removal of a jammed sheet needs to be performed at the rear side, thereby degrading usability in comparison with that performed at the front side. Further, the recording sheet fed from the sheet feeding cassette and then subjected to a printing process is ejected onto the sheet ejection tray as is. However, since an image surface of the printing sheet ejected on the sheet ejection faces upward and subsequent recording sheets are similarly stacked thereon, a printing order of the recording sheets stacked on the sheet ejection tray is inconsistent with a page number order of those as a result.

Conveyance mechanism and image forming apparatus incorporating same


A control system for an autonomous vehicle is disclosed. The control system may receive information that identifies distances, measured by a sensor of the autonomous vehicle, to different points of a roadway. The control system may generate a representation of a curve based on the information that identifies the distances. The representation of the curve may include a series of points that represent a curvature of the roadway. The control system may identify a point, of the series of points, that satisfies a condition based on the representation of the curve. The control system may store, in the memory, an indication that the point is a center point of the roadway.

An autonomous vehicle may include a control system to assist with automated steering based on detection of a roadway feature. In some cases, the control system may determine a center of a lane of a roadway to assist with maintaining a position of the autonomous vehicle in the center of the lane. One attempt to determine the center of a lane of a roadway is disclosed in U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 20180299887 ("the '887 publication"). In particular, the '887 publication discloses that a "camera 50 may detect a lane-marking 60 of the travel-lane 52 . . . . The camera 50 may also detect the lane-marking 60 on a left-side and a right-side of the travel-lane 52. The camera 50 may detect the lane-marking 60 that is a dashed-line (not specifically shown) and may detect the lane-marking 60 that is a solid-line (not specifically shown) . . . . The controller 28 may also be configured (e.g. programmed or hardwired) to determine a centerline (not shown) on the roadway 36 for the host-vehicle 12 based on the lane-marking 60 detected by the camera 50 . . . . By way of example and not limitation, the centerline is preferably in the middle of the travel-lane 52 defined by the lane-marking 60 of the roadway 36." However, in some situations, the roadway may not include lane markings, such as when the roadway is unpaved or unmarked. The systems and methods of the present disclosure solve one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.

Roadway center detection for autonomous vehicle control


A system and method for configuring a computer involves first compiling configuration information from a source computer and populating a migration file with the configuration information. The migration file is kept at a server. Subsequently, upon access to the server, the configuration information from the migration file is retrieved and used to configure a destination computer.

This invention relates generally to computer systems and, in particular, to a system and method for automatically configuring a computer system with the configuration information of another computer.
The personal computer of today is a powerful machine that is infinitely configurable to suit the personality and tastes of the user. When first placed in service, a computer system is typically configured with default system settings (e.g., display parameters, passwords, application settings, etc.) set by the original equipment manufacturer of the computer system (hardware/software). Over time the user of the computer system will modify these default settings as well as add new applications and online services to personalize the operating environment of the computer to better suit the user""s personality, tastes, mood, etc. For example, a typical user will modify the monitor background display (sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9cwallpaperxe2x80x9d), install a custom screen saver, install applications, modify/personalize application settings, register for and utilize online services, and the like to personalize the operating environment of the computer system. While modification of any one of these individual parameters rarely takes more than a few moments for the computer literate to accomplish, a substantial amount of time is spent in the aggregate to make all of the modifications required to personalize a computer""s operating environment.
With the rapid advance of computer technology expanding the practical application of personal computers, coupled with a near-quarterly reduction in computer system prices, the life-span of computer systems has been effectively reduced, as consumers desire the newest hardware to take advantage of the newest software and services available. Those in the computing industry want to encourage this trend, increasing sales of new computers and associated software and services. A drawback associated with the purchase of a new computer system, given all of the time and effort spent to personalize the old computer system, is that no convenient method or system currently exists to transport the configuration information, e.g., system settings, passwords, application configurations, online service provider account information, and the like, from one computer to another. Consequently, the user is typically only left with the option of manually configuring the new computer system. In a computer running the Windows operating system, this task of manually configuring system parameters is eased by grouping a number of the more configurable aspects of the operating system within the xe2x80x9cControl Panelxe2x80x9d, wherein a user can manually configure display parameters, networking parameters, passwords, etc. While this is merely a nuisance to the computer-literate, it can be a daunting task to a large segment of the computing public, who typically resort to paying for a technician to come in and configure the system settings, application parameters and the online service accounts.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method for automatically migrating configuration information from one computer to another. Just such a solution is presented below, unencumbered by the inherent limitations commonly associated with the prior art.
A system and method for automatically configuring a computer system with the configuration information of another computer is presented. In accordance with one example embodiment, a method for configuring a computer comprises compiling configuration information from a source computer during an initial access and populating a migration file with the configuration information. Upon a subsequent access, a destination computer is modified to reflect the configuration information contained within the migration file. Thus, it will be appreciated that the present invention enables a user to automatically migrate configuration information from a first computer to a second computer, relieving the user of the time-consuming process of manually configuring the second computer.
According to one aspect of the invention, a migration manager comprising a mining agent and a configuration manager automatically collects configuration information from a source computer to populate a migration file and, subsequently, configure a destination computer system with the configuration information of the migration file. In one embodiment, the mining agent is downloaded to a source computer to collect system setting, application setting, online service provider account, password, and other operating parameters (i.e., configuration information) to populate the migration file. Once the information is collected on the client, the migration file is uploaded (i.e., posted) to a data source and a user registry is updated to denote the pathname to the migration file.
When the user subsequently accesses the migration manager using the destination computer, the pathname to the migration file is identified and an instance of the configuration manager is selectively invoked to configure the destination computer with the configuration information contained within the migration file.
It will be appreciated that the present invention represents a new paradigm in configuring new computer systems. That is, by automatically migrating the system settings and account information from one computer to another, with minimal user interaction, the present invention relieves the user of the time consuming manual configuration process, thereby improving the out-of-box experience for computer system users.

System and method for the automated migration of configuration information


A method for forming a semiconductor device includes placing a Si substrate and an Sc2O3 powder source in an oxide chamber, and vaporizing the Sc2O3 powder source in the oxide chamber so as to form a single crystal Sc2O3 film on the Si substrate through electron beam evaporation techniques.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for forming a semiconductor device, more particularly to a method for forming a semiconductor device that involves forming a single crystal scandium oxide (Sc2O3) film on a silicon (Si) substrate through electron beam evaporation techniques using a Sc2O3 powder source.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heteroepitaxy and heterogrowth of a semiconductor film between an insulator layer and a semiconductor substrate have always attracted a lot of interest in scientific research and development, and industrial applications.
Formation of compound semiconductors on a substrate is an important application of the heteroepitaxy techniques. One attention-grabbing example is epitaxial growth of compound semiconductors of GaN series on a sapphire substrate. The layered structure of GaN/sapphire has been used in the manufacture of a blue or green light emitting diode. However, since the sapphire substrate has a poor heat-dissipating property and is relatively expensive, application of the sapphire substrate to light emitting devices having a relatively large size is limited. In addition, since the sapphire substrate has a relatively high hardness, the yield of the light emitting devices during subsequent grinding and cutting operations is relatively low, whereas the production cost of the same is relatively high.
However, the most difficult barrier to growth of an epitaxial film on a substrate is that the epitaxial film has to match the substrate in lattice constant so as to avoid occurrence of lattice defects, or even chip bending, due to stress.
Recently, growth of an epitaxial film of a compound semiconductor indirectly on a Si substrate through an insulating oxide film has been realized, which opens the possibility to replace the sapphire substrate with the Si substrate.
M. Hong et al. have described a heterostructure including a sapphire substrate, a first GaN film, an interfacial film made from Gd2O3 or Y2O3 and epitaxially grown on the first GaN film, and a second GaN film epitaxially grown on the interfacial film ("Single-crystal GaN/Gd2O3/GaN heterostructure," J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 20(3), May/June 2002, pp. 1274 to 1277). It has been found that despite a large mismatch in the lattice constant, Gd2O3 or Y2O3 can be epitaxially grown on the single-crystal GaN film, thereby permitting epitaxial growth of a GaN film thereon. The GaN film grown on the Gd2O3 or Y2O3 film has the same crystallographic hexagonal close-packed (hap) structure as the underlying GaN film.
Formation of a Sc2O3 epitaxy film on a Si substrate is conventionally conducted by using metal scandium (Sc) as the source material in an evacuated chamber. When Sc is heated to form evaporated Sc atoms, an oxygen gas is injected into the evacuated chamber to react with the evaporated Sc atoms to form compound Sc2O3. The compound Sc2O3 is then deposited on the Si substrate. However, the Sc2O3 film thus deposited on the Si substrate is not a single domain film, and has a poor crystallization quality, which can result in a relatively high defect density in the compound semiconductor epitaxially grown thereon, and which can deteriorate performance of the electronic devices manufactured therefrom
Therefore, there is still a need in the art to provide a method for forming a single crystal Sc2O3 film of improved crystallization quality on a Si substrate.

Method for forming a semiconductor device having a structure of a single crystal scandium oxide film formed on a silicon substrate


A mobility event for a VoIP user is detected, with an estimated confidence/certainty that the VoIP user in fact moved. In response, a user is prompted to cause an update to their registration and/or location information. Notification to the VoIP user of the likely need for a location update may be implemented in the communication protocol such that an icon on the VoIP phone displays the need to the VoIP user. The icon may include a measure of the confidence/certainty of the need for a location update, e.g., similar in visual image to the bars showing coverage on a wireless phone. Mobility of the VoIP user may be detected using, e.g., (1) The VoIP user's Internet protocol (IP) address; (2) a mapping of physical to logical location; and/or (3) mapping between physical location information and physical network resources such as switches, routers, ports, access points, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies. More particularly, it relates to location based services for VoIP protocols and architectures.
2. Background of the Related Art
911 is a phone number widely recognized in North America as an emergency phone number that is used by emergency dispatch personnel, among other things, to determine a location of a caller. Enhanced 911 (E911) is defined by the transmission of callback number and location information. E911 may be implemented for landline and/or wireless devices.
A Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) is a dispatch office that receives 9-1-1 calls from the public. A PSAP may be a local, fire or police department, an ambulance service or a regional office covering all services. A 9-1-1 ("911") service becomes E-9-1-1 ("E911") when automatic number identification and automatic location information from a communications device (e.g. wireless phone, VoIP Phone, etc.) is provided to the 911 operator.
Voice-Over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that emulates a phone call, but instead of using a circuit based system such as the telephone network, utilizes packetized data transmission techniques most notably implemented in the Internet. 911 calls made using VoIP technology must reach the correct PSAP, but there currently is no uniform interface to the various PSAPs for call delivery because the technology for connecting calls varies. For instance, not all PSAPs are Internet Protocol (IP) capable. Some PSAPs are accessed via ordinary public switched telephone network (PSTN) telephone lines. Some PSAPs are accessed through selective routing such as direct trunks. Still other PSAPs are accessed using IP connections. There is no uniformity among the thousands of different PSAPs.
Moreover, some Public Safety Access Points (PSAPs) are not enhanced, and thus do not receive the callback or location information at all from any phone, landline or wireless.
The use of VoIP technology is growing quickly. As people adopt voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology for routine communications, the inventors herein recognize that there is a growing need to access E911 services including provision of location information from a VoIP device.
The existing E911 infrastructure is built upon copper wire line voice technology and is not fully compatible with VoIP. Given VoIP technology, there are at least three VoIP scenarios:    1. A VoIP UA that is physically connected to a static data cable at a "home" address. For instance, an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) that is connected to the "home" data cable and uses traditional telephone devices.    2. A VoIP UA that is physically connected to a data cable at a location different than its "home" address. For instance, a laptop computer device utilized away from home as a VoIP software telephone would be a VoIP 'visitor' device as described by this scenario.    3. A VoIP UA that is wireless, physically disconnected from any data cable. In this situation, the VoIP UA connects to the VoIP service provider via either a wide-are wireless technology (e.g., cellular, PCS, WiMAX) or via a local-area wireless technology (e.g., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), UWB, etc.) using a laptop computer or handheld device.
VoIP phone calls are routed to a VoIP voice gateway, from which they are passed on to their destination. A VoIP voice gateway or soft switch is a programmable network switch that can process the signaling for all types of packet protocols. Also known as a 'media gateway controller,' or 'call agent,' or 'call server, such devices are used by carriers that support converged communications services by integrating SS7 telephone signaling with packet networks. Softswitches can support, e.g., IP, DSL, ATM and frame relay.
The challenges evident with respect to determining the location of a calling VoIP telephone is perhaps most evident with respect to its use to make an emergency call (e.g., a 911 call). Nevertheless, VoIP telephone technology is quickly replacing conventional switched telephone technology. However, because VoIP is Internet Protocol (IP) based, call related information such as CallerID type services may not be available or accurate.
Some Public Safety Access Points (PSAPs) are not enhanced, and thus do not receive the callback or location information at all from any phone; landline, cellular or VoIP.
Moreover, there is complexity in public access to Public Safety Answering Points due to lack of a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for all PSAPs. (SIP is the IP-based protocol defined in IETF RFCs 3261 and 2543.) SIP is one of two dominant protocols used by the VoIP industry. URI is the addressing technology for identifying resources on the Internet or a private intranet. URIs were originally defined as two types: Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) which are addresses with network location, and Uniform Resource Names (URNs) which are persistent names that are address independent. Today, a URI is defined by its purpose rather than the URL vs. URN classification.) Some PSAPs are accessed only by conventional telephone line, others only by direct telephone trunk lines. Not all PSAPs are accessible via the Internet.
FIG. 3 shows basic conventional VoIP elements required to interconnect a VoIP emergency E911 caller to a relevant public safety access point (PSAP).
In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, VoIP telephone devices 102a, 102b, 102c (collectively referred to as 102) are connected to respective VoIP Service Provider (VSP) soft switches 104a, 104b, 104c (collectively referred to as 104) using an Internet Protocol (IP) connection, most commonly over the Internet. The VoIP service provider's soft switch 104 in turn communicates with a respective VoIP Positioning Center (VPC) 106a, 106b, 106c (collectively referred to as 106) using an appropriate IP connection. Each VSP requires use of their own VPC, as depicted in FIG. 3.
FIG. 4 shows in more detail conventional VoIP elements required by a VPC to interconnect a VoIP emergency E911 caller to a relevant public safety access point (PSAP).
In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, each VPC 106 comprises its own respective route determination module 404, call delivery module 406, and provisioning list 408.
A respective location information server (LIS) 108 services each of the VPCs 106. The LIS 108 is responsible for storing and providing access to the subscriber location information needed for E9-1-1 call processing (as defined by the NENA VoIP Location Working Group).
A conventional VoIP Positioning Center (VPC) 106 is a system that attempts to determine the appropriate or correct PSAP 114 that a VoIP emergency E911 call should be routed to based on the VoIP subscriber's position. The conventional VPC 106 also returns associated routing instructions to the VoIP network. The conventional VPC 106 additionally provides the caller's location and the callback number to the relevant PSAP through the automatic location identifier (ALI) (The ALI is a database that accepts a PSAP query, and using that relates a specific telephone number to a street address. In the case of an Emergency Services Query Key (ESQK), the ALI database steers the query to the appropriate VPC and steers the response back to the PSAP. An ALI is typically owned by a LEC or a PSAP.)
Further as shown in FIG. 4, each VSP route the emergency 9-1-1 call, without location object added, to their VPC 106. The VPC must determine the correct PSAP 114 (collectively represented by PSAP 114a, 114b and 114c) and route to it using the appropriate technology.
In a first scenario, the VPC 106 passes the 9-1-1 call to the PSAP 114a using an INVITE telephone number message, via a media gateway 110 that translates between the IP protocol of the INVITE message and a telephone line interface, and interfaces with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 112.
In a second scenario, the VPC 106 passes the 9-1-1 call to the PSAP 114b using an INVITE S/R message, via an ESGW 120 and selective router 122. In this scenario, the selective router 122 is connected to the relevant PSAP 114b via direct trunks.
In a third scenario, the VPC 106 passes the 9-1-1 call to the PSAP 114c using an INVITE PSAP message, via IP, to the PSAP 114c.
In the second and third scenario, the ALI 126 must be inter-connected with each VPC 106 (a,b,c). Furthermore, each VPC is burdened with supporting all the various ALI protocols: ve2, e2, PAM, legacy NENA, etc.
The location of a VoIP user is critical information for a 911 call, and is also valuable for other VoIP applications. Location of a given VoIP device is typically provisioned to be at a given geographic location, or queried from a home location register (HLR) in a mobile system. But users often do not update their location when they move, and there is currently no method to determine whether the user's location is outdated.
Conventional solutions rely on VoIP users themselves to manually instigate an update of their location information. When manually causing an update, the location of the user may be determined using conventional techniques, e.g., via global positioning system (GPS), triangulation, physical wire mapping and/or other techniques. However, these conventional mechanisms are too inflexible because they rely on the VoIP user to proactively trigger an update of their location information.
There is a need for better techniques and apparatus for maintaining an accurate updated location of a VoIP user.

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) mobility detection


A tube connector includes an anchor body having a lengthwise through-passage and a bolt head cavity. The through-passage and bolt head cavity are open to a side of the anchor body. One end of the anchor body has a tool-access opening and the other end has a tapered portion. A bolt extends through the tapered end portion and has its head located in the bolt head cavity. The bold is inserted into the anchor body via the side opening. A tightening body has a lengthwise through-passage through which the bolt extends and a tapered end portion facing the tapered end portion of the anchor body. A nut engages upon the bolt, and an expansion body has a pair of opposed inward facing ramp surfaces, one of which bears against the tapered portion of the anchor body and the other of which bears against the tapered portion of the tightening body. Upon relative rotation between the bolt and nut the tightening body moves toward the anchor body to expand the expansion body against an internal surface of the tube end.

The present invention relates to tube connectors. More particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to connectors for securing a pair of tubes in end-to-end configuration, or for securing three or more tubes radiating from the connector in one or more planes. Such connectors might have application in shelving, metal framework such as scaffolding, and furniture construction for example.
Known connectors for securing tubes in end-to-end configuration can be complex in design and implementation.


An enhanced widget architecture, in which a subscription request is transmitted from a widget to a broadcasting information source, thereby establishing a session, the subscription request identifying the widget and content. A subscription is registered at the broadcasting information source based upon the subscription request, and a service call is transmitted from the widget to the broadcasting information source, the service call effectuating a query for historical data associated with the content at the broadcasting information source. The historical data is received at the widget, updated data associated with the content is received at the broadcasting information source, and the updated data is iteratively transmitted form the broadcasting information source based upon the subscription being registered at the broadcasting information source.

A widget (or "gadget") is an interactive desktop applet for providing a service to a user, such as by pulling information from the Internet and displaying it in a useful way, or by writing information to enterprise internal systems or public systems. This information could be, for example, current news or weather, dictionary definitions, maps, task or reminder data, or language-translated content.
A widget engine is a host application that provides the underlying functionality for a widget. Popular widget engines include the YAHOO!® widget engine, the SpringWidgets widget engine, the Kapsules widget engine, the GOOGLE DESKTOP™ widget engine, the KLIPFOLIO™ widget engine, and the WINDOWS VISTA® gadget engine.


A method and a system for speech enhancement including a time synchronization unit configured to synchronize microphone signals sent from at least two microphones; a source separation unit configured to separate the synchronized microphone signals and output a separated speech signal, which corresponds to a speech source; and a noise reduction unit including a feature extraction unit configured to extract a speech feature of the separated speech signal and a neural network configured to receive the speech feature and output a clean speech feature.

Speech recognition system in a vehicle permits driver and passengers to control various functions of the vehicle by speaking words and phrases, such as the functions of a navigator, an air conditioner, and even an automatic driver system. However, vehicle cabins may be noisy. Noise in a vehicle may come from several sources, such as, the engine, the wind, the tires, the air conditioner, the music, echoes, etc. A speech signal in light of such noise may yield an unfavorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which may limit the effectiveness of the speech recognition system. Furthermore, a conventional vehicle may only include one microphone for picking up the speech signals. The placement of those microphones in the vehicle may be fixed. The low number of microphones and the placement thereof may also limit the effectiveness of speech enhancement and recognition systems.
In addition, in the conventional vehicle, two or more persons may simultaneously talk. In such cases, the low number of microphones and placement thereof may make it difficult for a speech separation system of the speech recognition system to separate the speech signals from the different speaking-persons. The speech separation system may, therefore, yield unfavorable separation results.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and a system for improving the speech separation, such as to create clear, separate signals, and noise reduction in the art.

Method and system for speech enhancement

Harman International Industries, Incorporated